On Nov. 21, the second division courtroom in which Judge Tom Greenholtz once pronounced his rulings felt more like a gathering of old colleagues than a place of criminal proceedings as attorneys, judges and friends filled the benches to witness the unveiling of Greenholtz’s portrait.
Judge Amanda Dunn, who succeeded Greenholtz when he was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in 2022, presided over the ceremony. During her opening remarks, she described it as an “auspicious moment” for the division and “a day Judge Greenholtz has dreaded for a long time.”
Her explanation painted a lively picture of a two-year standoff between the honoree and Criminal Court Judge Boyd Patterson.
“Judge Patterson said, ‘Judge Greenholtz, we need to get a portrait made.’ And Judge Greenholtz said, ‘No, we don’t have to do that.’
“This went on for two years. To the extent that Judge Patterson is diligent, Judge Greenholtz is equally stubborn. But we did get this done.”
For Dunn, the portrait’s arrival also marked a personal milestone. She gestured toward a wall of portraits of former judges.
“For a few years, I’ve been under the watchful eye of Judge Rebecca Stern,” she said. “And I’m now going to get to be under the watchful eye of Tom Greenholtz.”
Her tone softened.
“That’s a nerve-wracking situation because there aren’t many people in this world like Tom. Not only is he an exceptional jurist, he’s also an exceptionally humble person. He doesn’t like people complimenting him or saying kind things about him.”
Dunn said she feels the weight of succeeding him.
“Every day, I strive to fill very large shoes,” she said. “As long as I’m working to achieve the level of professionalism, dignity and decorum he brought to this courtroom, then I’m honoring him every day.”
A colleague remembers
Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman followed, acknowledging a truth many judges learn early: “I was told how isolating being a judge can be. And there’s truth to that.”
But, he said, isolation was eased by colleagues down the hall.
“What a joy it was – and what a great opportunity – to have someone of Tom’s caliber next door.”
Steelman devoted a significant portion of his remarks to Greenholtz’s intellectual discipline.
“I have a great appreciation for his dedication to scholarship,” he said. “Whether it’s history or the law, he takes his responsibility to know what he’s supposed to know very seriously.”
Steelman also praised Greenholtz’s “extraordinary gift of expression in writing,” noting that few enjoy the craft of legal writing as deeply.
“That’s one of the reasons I thought it was appropriate for him to go to the Court of Criminal Appeals,” Steelman said. “And perhaps beyond that at some point.”
Above all, Steelman said, Greenholtz is a gentleman.
“The way he conducted his court set the bar very high for the rest of us,” Steelman said. “It’s my great honor and pleasure to make these comments for not only my former colleague but also my friend.”
The unveiling
After Steelman’s remarks, Greenholtz’s children, Caroline and Michael, stepped to the front of the courtroom. With a tug of the cloth, they revealed the portrait their father had successfully avoided seeing until that very moment.
Greenholtz stood silently for several seconds, his hand rising to his chin as he studied the painting.
“Wow,” he finally said. “That’s unbelievable. I’m not deserving of that.”
He focused first on the expression the artist, Dwayne Mitchell, captured.
“I see the smile,” he said. “And I’ll tell you this – I loved this job. I loved the people who came into this court every day. And I think that smile is evocative of that – of seeing great advocates come into this courtroom and fight hard for their clients.”
Then he shifted to what the portrait couldn’t capture.
“What I don’t see in the picture is that I was part of a larger team. I don’t see Connie (court reporter), Kay (court reporter), Mandi (bench clerk), Deana (judicial assistant), Tommy (bailiff), Brian (court officer) or Anthony (court officer). We each had our unique roles, and all of them should be celebrated with me.”
Greenholtz named another absence: the program that had brought him to the bench in the first place.
“I also don’t see the reason I came to this court,” he said. “The high point of being here was being part of Drug Recovery Court. Program coordinator Shannon Morgan has done amazing things with that program.”
He then turned toward his family.
“What I don’t see in the picture, but wish could be there, is that I was never alone,” he said. “I had my wife always backing me up, had her family, had my kids, had all of my good friends who were here. And just as I tried to be a service to all of you, you were a service to me every day.”
Greenholtz explained that the portrait was cropped from a fuller photograph in which he held a book – an anthology by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“In that book is a quote on life,” he said. “It says the purpose of life isn’t to be happy but to serve others. Each one of you I had the pleasure of being with every day understood that we were dedicated to something larger than ourselves.”
He then paused again.
“It’s not the portrait that goes on the wall, it’s not the person who wears the robe,” he said. “It’s all of us in service every day to someone else.”
He also admitted something the portrait concealed.
“The smile doesn’t capture the sadness I felt when I left here,” he said. “This was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had or will ever have.”
A lesson from the wall
Greenholtz then glanced across the courtroom and pointed toward a portrait hanging in the rear.
“I’m struck by that picture,” he said. “Does anyone know who that judge is?”
Only a handful of longtime practitioners did.
“Tillman Grant,” he said. “Let that sink in for just a minute. Tillman Grant served for 20 years on the Hamilton County bench in second division. And almost none of us remember him today.”
He let the moment breathe.
“That’s exactly how it should be,” he continued. “Judges who wear the robe don’t do so to get on the wall. They don’t seek the position for fame. They seek it serve their community. So, it’s proper that we should forget who they are.”
Greenholtz then added, “If you want to be known, run for president or write a great piece of legislation. If you want to serve your community, wear the robe.”
He then returned his gaze to his own portrait.
“I’m looking forward to the day when no one knows who the man in my portraitis.”
About Judge Tom Greenholtz
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Tom Greenholtz has called Chattanooga home since the mid-1980s. Born in Albany, Georgia, he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before earning his law degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Tennessee College of Law. After law school, he served as a law clerk to Tennessee Supreme Court Justice William Barker, an experience that helped shape his approach to legal writing and judicial decision-making.
Greenholtz began his career in private practice, first with Summers & Wyatt and later with Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel. His work spanned municipal and governmental law, complex civil litigation, labor and employment matters, criminal defense and appellate advocacy.
In 2022, Gov. Bill Lee appointed Greenholtz to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. On the appellate bench, he hears criminal and post-conviction appeals from across the state and contributes to several statewide initiatives, including the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Technology Oversight Committee, the Trial Court E-Filing Oversight Committee and the Advisory Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure.
He also serves as secretary of the Tennessee Judicial Conference and has chaired committees on public confidence, recovery courts and criminal pattern jury instructions.
Before joining the appellate court, Greenholtz served seven years as a Hamilton County Criminal Court judge. He presided over felony and misdemeanor trials and helped oversee the county’s Drug Recovery Court, which provides treatment-focused support for people struggling with substance use.
Along with Judges Don Poole and Barry Steelman, he worked to expand public access to the criminal courts, earning recognition from the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government for leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also served as presiding judge of the Eleventh Judicial District from 2018 to 2019.
Greenholtz remains active in teaching and civic life. He has long served as an adjunct professor of political science at UTC, teaching constitutional law, civil liberties and the judicial process. His community involvement includes leadership roles at the Chambliss Center for Children and the Orange Grove Center, service on the Vestry of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and membership in the Rotary Club of Chattanooga. He is a Fellow of the Chattanooga, Tennessee and American Bar Foundations.
He and his wife, Kathryn, were married in 1999 and are the parents of two children, Caroline and Michael. Outside the courtroom, he enjoys collecting presidential political memorabilia, traveling with his family and hiking. His personal interests include American history, particularly the Revolutionary War, colonial America and the Civil War battles fought in the Chattanooga area.
Source: Chattanooga Bar Association