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Holly M. Kirby (born July 9, 1957) is an American lawyer who has served on the Tennessee Supreme Court since 2013, serving as chief justice since 2023. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Bill Haslam in 2013. She served as a judge of the Tennessee Court of Appeals from 1995 to 2013.

Education

Kirby graduated from Columbia Central High School in Columbia, Tennessee. She attended Memphis State University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 1979. She received a Juris Doctor from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1982.

Career

After law school, Kirby served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Harry W. Wellford of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

In 1983, Kirby joined the Memphis law firm of Burch, Porter and Johnson, where she specialized in defending businesses in employment-related litigation. In 1990, she became a partner in the firm.

In 1995, she was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals, becoming the first woman on the court.

In December 2013, Governor Bill Haslam appointed Kirby to the Tennessee Supreme Court to fill the upcoming vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Janice M. Holder. She was sworn in as a justice in September 2014. In September 2023, she was elected to serve as chief justice.

Personal life

Kirby is married and has two grown children.

References

1. ^ "Holly Kirby appointed to Tennessee Supreme Court by Governor Bill Haslam". Clarksville Online - Clarksville News, Sports, Events and Information. December 18, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
2. ^ "Haslam appoints Kirby to Tennessee Supreme Court". Oak Ridge Today. December 17, 2013.
3. ^ "Holly Kirby | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts". www.tncourts.gov. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
4. "Justice Holly Kirby – Women's Political Collaborative of Tennessee". Retrieved September 2, 2023.
5. "Justice Kirby Elected To Serve As Chief Justice Of Tennessee Supreme Court". www.tncourts.gov.

v t e Statewide political officials of Tennessee
U.S. senators	Marsha Blackburn Bill Hagerty
State government	Bill Lee, Governor Randy McNally, Lieutenant Governor Tre Hargett, Secretary of State (appointed) Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General (appointed) David Lillard, Treasurer (appointed) Jason Mumpower, Comptroller (appointed)
Senate	Randy McNally, Speaker Ferrell Haile, Speaker pro tempore Jack Johnson, Majority Leader Raumesh Akbari, Minority Leader
House	Cameron Sexton, Speaker Pat Marsh, Speaker pro tempore William Lamberth, Majority Leader Karen Camper, Minority Leader
Supreme Court	Holly M. Kirby, Chief Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins Sarah K. Campbell Dwight E. Tarwater Mary L. Wagner, Justices

• 1957 births
• 21st-century American judges
• 21st-century American women judges
• Justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court
• Lawyers from Memphis, Tennessee
• Living people
• Tennessee state court judges
• University of Memphis alumni
• Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States