Kyle A. Hixson at a glance
- Current role
- Supreme Court Justice
- Jurisdiction
- Tennessee · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Kyle A. Hixson
Supreme Court Justice · Supreme Court of Tennessee
Biography
Professional career
- Joined the Tennessee Supreme Court on July 1, 2026, following his appointment by Governor Bill Lee and confirmation by the General Assembly, filling the seat of retired Justice Holly Kirby
- Criminal Court Judge, 6th Judicial District, 2020-2022
- Before that, Hixson was a Criminal Court Judge in Knox County, appointed to the trial court bench in 2019 Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts
- Deputy District Attorney General, Sixth Judicial District 2014-2019
- Assistant Attorney General, Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter, Nashville 2012-2014
- Assistant District Attorney General, Sixth Judicial District 2008-2012
- Adjunct Professor of Law, The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law
- After law school, he served as a criminal prosecutor in Knox County, then as Assistant Attorney General representing Tennessee in appeals, including before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Education
- THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE-KNOXVILLE Law School 2008
- THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE-KNOXVILLE Undergraduate 2005
- A seventh-generation Tennessean, Hixson earned both his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Tennessee.
Additional information
- Year Elected/Appointed: 2026
- Prior to this, he served on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals from 2022 to 2026, the state’s intermediate appellate court for criminal cases.
- During his undergraduate studies in broadcasting, he worked for the Vol Network and held the role of a color commentator for Tennessee baseball broadcasts from 2005 to 2011.
- Highly experienced jurist with a career spanning criminal prosecution, appellate advocacy, and judicial service.
- He later returned to Knoxville as Deputy District Attorney General, supervising criminal prosecutions in Tennessee’s third-largest jurisdiction
- Hixson is active in the Knoxville community, serving on boards such as the Sertoma Center and CASA of East Tennessee.
- He is a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, a member of the Knoxville Bar Association and the Federalist Society, and has held the role of an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
- He and his family are active members of Sevier Heights Church
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 30 allows media coverage of public judicial proceedings subject to the presiding judge's control and requires written media requests at least two business days before the proceeding unless waived.
Requests by representatives of the media for such coverage must be made in writing to the presiding judge not less than two (2) business days before the proceeding is scheduled to begin.Rule 30: Media Guidelines ↗
Statewide
Tennessee Rule 30 prohibits media coverage of jury selection, jurors, closed proceedings, and certain minor or juvenile-court participants.
Media coverage of jury selection is prohibited.Rule 30: Media Guidelines ↗
Remote appearances
Statewide
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 55 permits teleconferencing, video conferencing, or other technology for court proceedings at the discretion of the trial or appellate court.
The use of teleconferencing, video conferencing or other technology to conduct court proceedings or other court business remotely is permissible at the discretion of the trial or appellate court.Rule 55: Use of Technology for Court Proceedings ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Rule 30: Media Guidelines
Supreme Court of Tennessee
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked August 22, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 22, 2026
View Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster ↗Rule 30: Media Guidelines
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Rule 30: Media Guidelines ↗Rule 55: Use of Technology for Court Proceedings
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Rule 55: Use of Technology for Court Proceedings ↗Investiture Ceremony Held for Tennessee Supreme Court ...
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Investiture Ceremony Held for Tennessee Supreme Court ... ↗