Final Three Names Forwarded To Governor Lee For TN Supreme Court Justice Appointment
Pictured from Left: Kristi M. Davis, Tom Greenholtz, and Dwight Tarwater Image Credit: tn.gov / tncourts.gov & Brent Moore / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Three finalists remain in the race to be appointed as the next Tennessee Supreme Court Justice. Governor Bill Lee will select the replacement for the position that will become vacant when Justice Sharon Lee retires on August 31.
Applications for five individuals were reviewed by the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments on Wednesday before the final three names were given to Governor Lee. Those still in the running are Kristi M. Davis, Tom Greenholtz, and Dwight Tarwater. All three are graduates of the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Nominations for the Tennessee Supreme Court are made by the Governor and then confirmed by the General Assembly. They must then go through retention elections every eight years.
This newest appointment by Governor Lee will mean that all five members of the Tennessee Supreme Court will be Republican appointees.
Justice Lee was appointed by then-Governor Phil Bredesen in 2008. She was the last remaining Democratic appointee on the state Supreme Court.
Appointee Kristi M. Davis is from Knoxville and is currently working as a judge for the Tennessee Court of Appeals. Her past experience also includes serving as a judge in Knox County Circuit Court and spending 14 years in private practice as an attorney.
Tom Greenholtz, of Ooltewah, got his start in 2002 as a law clerk in the Tennessee Supreme Court. Following that, he presided over Hamilton County Drug Recovery Court and worked as a judge in the second Division of Criminal Court in the 11th Judicial District until 2022. He is currently serving as an Eastern Section judge of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.
The final appointee is Dwight E. Tarwater of Knoxville. He has practiced law since 1980 and has been a partner at Paine, Tarwater, and Bickers LLP in Knoxville. He also served as general counsel to then-Governor Bill Haslam from 2014-2019.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
