Tennessee Governor Bill HaslamNASHVILLE - Gov. Bill Haslam on Tuesday named Appeals Judge Holly M. Kirby to join the state Supreme Court after Justice Janice Holder retires next year.
Kirby has served on the Court of Appeals since 1995 and was previously a partner in the Memphis law firm Burch, Porter & Johnson. Her appointment means the state's highest court will keep its current makeup of three women and two men.
"We are fortunate to have someone with Judge Kirby's depth of experience to serve on the Tennessee Supreme Court," Haslam said in a news release. "Her impressive record of service will benefit Tennesseans."
Kirby said in her application that she is "committed to rigorous adherence to legislative intent, even where I disagree." She said she draws heavily on her life experiences to understand the circumstances of those who appear before her in court.
"Like many litigants, I have spent years caring for aging parents, have been the divorced mother of young children, and have struggled to care for a child with a disability," she wrote in the application.
"I am mindful that lawsuits are not dry academic exercises; they are people's lives," she said. "In writing opinions for the Court, I work hard to tell the human story underlying the legal issues so that, no matter the result, litigants will know they have been heard."
The appointment comes as Tennesseans prepare to vote next year on a proposed constitutional amendment that would keep the current system of gubernatorial appointments to appeals courts but give the Legislature the power to reject the governor's choices. If approved, the amendment would also keep the yes-no retention votes for appeals judges that have only resulted in a single defeat.
While the current system has withstood legal challenges, critics say it conflicts with language in the state constitution that says justices "shall be elected by the qualified voters of the state."
Kirby, 56, received both her undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Memphis. She is the former wife of state Treasurer David Lillard, with whom she has two children.
There were only five applicants for the West Tennessee vacancy created by Holder's upcoming retirement. The three finalists for the high court position, which pays $177,000 a year finalists, were Kirby, Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft and corporate attorney J. Brooke Lathram.