NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Governor's Commission for Judicial Appointments has selected three finalists to fill an upcoming vacancy on the state Supreme Court.

After interviewing five applicants, the panel selected Appeals Judge Jeffrey Bivins of Franklin, attorney Linda Knight of Nashville and Shelby County Juvenile Court Administrative Officer Larry K. Scroggs of Memphis.

Justice Bill Koch announced in December he will retire in July to become dean of the Nashville School of Law. The vacancy is the second for Gov. Bill Haslam to fill on the five-member high court since taking office in 2011.

Bivins was named to the appeals court by then-Gov. Phil Bredesen in 2005, Scroggs is a former Republican state representative and Knight was an inaugural member of the state Ethics Commission after its formation in 2006.