NASHVILLE - Bill Young, a former general counsel for Chattanooga-based BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, was named Wednesday by the Tennessee Supreme Court as its next director of the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Young has been serving as solicitor general for Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper for more than two years. He will head the courts' office later this year.
"Bill Young's years of experience in the attorney general's office, especially as solicitor general, and in the private sector, as general counsel for Blue-Cross BlueShield, place him in good stead to lead the administration of the judiciary for years to come," said Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade in a news release.
Young will replace Libby Sykes, who announced in August she is retiring.
"Bill has been an outstanding solicitor general who has brought great legal and personal skills to a demanding job. The office will miss his counsel, and we wish him the best of luck in his new position," Cooper said.
Young said in the news release that "I appreciate the tremendous opportunity provided to me by the Supreme Court and look forward to serving in this capacity."
Republican Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey said Supreme Court justice made an "excellent decision today. I have known Bill Young for years and he has always been the epitome of professionalism." He said Young is someone of "high moral character as well as a keen legal mind, I have no doubt Bill will excel in this new role."
He noted Young is the first Republican to serve as director of the Administrative Office of the Courts. State campaign finance records show Young, a graduate of Vanderbilt University's law schools, as a contributor to Republicans in the past.
The state Supreme Court is the governing body of the judicial branch of state government and the administrative director develops the annual budget, supervises a staff of 75 employees in six divisions and provides administrative support for all court personnel throughout the state.
Young's wife, Jane, serves as general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Health. The couple live in Nashville and have one daughter, Beth, who is pursuing a master's degree in accounting at Wake Forest University.