KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — A Knox County prosecutor wants to succeed a retiring veteran judge on the Knox County Criminal Court bench.
Kyle Hixson, 36, who supervises criminal prosecutions in District Attorney General Charme Allen's office, announced Wednesday he is seeking to replace Judge Bob McGee, who will step down at the end of the year.
McGee last won election in 2014, meaning several years are left in his term.
Gov. Bill Lee will pick a successor.
Hixson, a Republican, received his law degree in 2008 from the University of Tennessee College of Law and became a prosecutor in the DA's Office.
From 2012-14, he worked in the state Attorney General's Office.
In 2014, he returned to Knox County as deputy district attorney general, overseeing the prosecution of all criminal cases. He's continued to try cases while managing office cases.
He's also an adjunct professor of law in trial practice at the College of Law.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Hixson is a former UT baseball play-by-play commentator.
A Crossville native, Hixson and his wife Rachel have three daughters.
Knox County has three Criminal Court judges, charged with overseeing trials.
McGee informed Lee in August he'd be retiring at the end of the year. He's been on the Criminal Court bench since 2008. Prior to that he served several terms as a Knox County General Sessions Court judge.