The Hon. Thomas C. Greenholtz is a judge for the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Bill Lee on March 28, 2022, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Norma McGee Ogle.
Prior to his appointment, Greenholtz was a judge for the 11th Judicial District Criminal Court, a position to which he was named in 2015. During his tenure there, he presided over the Hamilton County Drug Recovery Court. He also played an instrumental role in the expansion of electronic access to the court’s dockets and proceedings.
Greenholtz earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration, American history, and economics from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1996. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1999. As a law student, he was the executive editor of the Tennessee Law Review.
After graduating from law school, Greenholtz began his legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. William M. Barker of the Tennessee Supreme Court. He served in that capacity until 2002, at which time he entered into private practice at Summers & Wyatt (2002 to 2004), Shumacker, Witt, Gaither & Whitaker (2004 to 2006), and Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel (2006 to 2015). Greenholtz handled both criminal and civil matters, handling criminal defense; municipal and government law; business, commercial, and banking litigation; labor and employment law; and antitrust compliance matters.
His memberships have included the Chattanooga Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the Brock-Cooper American Inn of Court. He has also been involved with the United Way of Greater Chattanooga, the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, the Chambliss Center for Children, the Orange Grove Center, the Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society, and the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga.
Greenholtz was a resident of Ooltewah, Tennessee, at the time of his appointment. He and his wife, Kate, have two children. The family attends St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
He is registered as a Republican.