Kyle Hedrick will step onto the bench Thursday as the new Circuit Court Division IV judge for Hamilton County.
From there, though, he’ll have to step foot on the campaign trail, as the position will be up for election in 2018.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday announced Hedrick as the replacement for Judge Neil Thomas III, who retired early in October after 20 years on the bench. Hedrick was chosen from a panel of three finalists, who included Jennifer Peck and Jim Exum.
“Kyle Hedrick has vast experience working in the 11th Judicial District, and I am pleased to make this appointment,” Haslam said in a news release.
Hedrick said by phone Monday he was “ecstatic, literally,” to receive the call from Haslam legal counsel Dwight Tarwater, who told him he had the best application and the best interview. He joked that his mane of gray hair might have had something to do with it, too.