Punishment for many criminal convictions includes the loss of a driver’s license. Often, the defendant has completed jail time or community service as required, but is still unable to reinstate the driver’s license – usually because of fines, fees or court costs.

Early in the term of Knoxville City Judge Tyler Caviness, he teamed with Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond and various county judges to tackle some of these cases. At the time more than 70,000 people in Knox County did not have a valid driver’s license.

In early March 2024, the judges held a license reinstatement event.

Hammond reported: “This is the first time the city, county and state have joined at a single event to assist people address the barriers to license reinstatement. Participants were seen by a judge to address their legal requirements. Then they worked with representatives from the Tennessee Department of Safety for any other needs.

“Multiple people were able to obtain a valid driver’s license at the event, and many more were able to remove significant hurdles they faced for reinstatement.”

This was a fine idea, guys. Let’s do it again.

Judge Kyle Hixson is applicant for TN Supreme Court

Kyle A. Hixson

Judge Kyle Hixson of Knoxville is one of five applicants for appointment to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Hixson was appointed by Gov. Bill Lee to the TN Court of Criminal Appeals in 2022. Previously, he was an assistant attorney general and served as Criminal Court Judge from 2020-22. His bio is here.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will consider the applicants when it meets to select nominees for an upcoming vacancy on the Tennessee Supreme Court after the retirement of Justice Holly Kirby on June 30, 2026.

The applicants include:

  • J. Ross Dyer
  • Kyle A. Hixson
  • Eileen Kuo
  • Carma Dennis McGee
  • Shea Sisk Wellford

Public interviews of the applicants are scheduled for Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at 9 a.m. CST in the courtroom of the Nashville Supreme Court Building located at 401 7th Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee. At the conclusion of the interviews, the Council will vote to send three applicants to the governor.

Any member of the public may attend the public hearing and can express, orally or in writing, objections concerning applicant(s) for the judicial vacancy. If you require an accommodation and/or have special needs because of a qualified disability, or have questions about the Council, please contact AOC Assistant General Counsel Laura Blount at 615-741-2687 or laura.blount@tncourts.gov.

In Memoriam: Elaine Gary King

Elaine King

The wife of longtime Knoxville attorney John K. King has died. Elaine Gary King, of Knoxville, passed away on October 21, 2025 from an aggressive cancer.

Mrs. King graduated from The University of Memphis (formerly Memphis State University) where she met her husband, John, who graduated from Memphis State University and the University of Tennessee School of Law, Knoxville. The Kings have one child, a son, Shannon King. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, October 29, from 4-6 p.m. at Rose Funeral and Cremation – Mann with a memorial service to follow. The full obituary is here.

Notes & Quotes
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has caused Tennessee to join 24 other states in filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the Court to reconsider how the Constitution defines birthright citizenship. The coalition argues that the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause — which states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States” are citizens — has been interpreted too broadly. The states contend that automatic citizenship should apply only to children whose parents are lawfully present and owe allegiance to the United States.
Blame it on the Dems: As the federal government remains shut down, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a flag atop its official government website: Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance. Hey, folks. Republicans control the House, the Senate and the Presidency. The GOP is ripping off the east wing of the White House, sending troops to American cities and blowing up small boats in the Atlantic (and that was just last week). Open the government already.

Quote: Mahalia Jackson, born in New Orleans (1911) would have been 114 yesterday. She was orphaned in early childhood. Her family’s house was right next to a church, which is where the girl first heard gospel music. She also listened to blues singers like Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey. But Jackson was a devoted Baptist, and she refused to sing anything but gospel. She said, “When you sing gospel you have a feeling there is a cure for what’s wrong. But when you are through with the blues, you’ve got nothing to rest on.”   – From Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac, Sunday, October 26, 2008.

Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook and Instagram. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our Free Newsletter.