Tales from the 10th

In this episode of Tales from the 10th, Chief Judge Jerome A. Holmes reflects on his career, from his early influences in a family rooted in international service to his path through law school, clerkships, and public service.

Holmes discusses the formative role of mentorshiip, particularly from Judges Wayne Alley and William J. Holloway and how those experiences shaped his approach to law, professionalism, and leadership. He highli...

In this second installment of Tales from the 10th, the conversation continues with judges who have served in Yellowstone National Park, offering a deeper look into one of the most unique judicial environments in the country. The episode explores memorable and often surprising case from tourists interacting dangerously with wildlife to high-profile defendants and unusual criminal activity in the park.

Through these stories, the judge...

In Part One of this multi-part series, Tales from the 10th explores the unique administration of federal justice inside Yellowstone National Park, one of the only places in the country with a full-time magistrate judge and federal courthouse located entirely within a national park.

Host Erin Gust is joined by Yellowstone Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick and former Magistrate Judge Mark Carman to trace the court’s origins, i...

In this second episode in Breaking the Marble Ceiling series fromTales from the 10th, host Laila Kassis sits down with Judge Deanell Tacha, whose journey from a small town in Kansas to Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit is nothing short of remarkable. Judge Tacha shares stories of her early mentors, her unexpected path to law school during the Vietnam era, and her groundbreaking role as one of the few wo...

In this episode of Tales from the 10th, host Erin Gust interviews her former boss, Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich, about his life, career, and more than two decades on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. Judge Tymkovich reflects on his Colorado roots, his early influences, and his path from the Attorney General’s Office to the federal bench. He shares insights into his time as Chief Judge, the challenges of leading du...

Judge Stephanie Seymour, interviewed in July 2025, reflects on her 46-year tenure as a judge on the 10th Circuit. Born in Battle Creek, Michigan, she attended Smith College and Harvard Law School, where she was one of 23 women in a class of 580. Seymour discussed her early career challenges, including being the only woman in law firms and balancing motherhood with her legal practice. She highlighted significant cases like the Musko...

Judge Richard P. Matsch (1930-2019) served as a United States District Judge for the District of Colorado from 1974 to 2019. He is best known for his service as the trial judge in charge of the criminal trials of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who were convicted in 1997 for their roles in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. 

Second podcast episode:

In the second podcast episode, Judge ...

Judge Richard P. Matsch (1930-2019) served as a United States District Judge for the District of Colorado from 1974 to 2019. He is best known for his service as the trial judge in charge of the criminal trials of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who were convicted in 1997 for their roles in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. 

Before Matsch’s service as a federal judge, he worked ...

John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, reflected on his career and work as a judge at the Tenth Circuit Bench-Bar Conference Fireside Chat on September 2, 2022. This podcast features excerpts from that discussion.

 Incoming Tenth Circuit Chief Judge Jerome A. Holmes and outgoing Chief Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich interviewed Justice Roberts for this program. 

 Justice Roberts began by res...

U.S. District Judge Bruce S. Jenkins shares in this episode recorded in 2023 his recollections at age 95 about the most important case he ever worked on—the hard-fought Utah “Downwinders” lawsuit.  

 The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) conducted above-ground testing of nuclear devices in 1953 in southern Nevada. Ranchers living southern Utah, downwind of the Nevada nuclear testing filed five lawsuits ...

This episode is part two of the Excerpts from the Oral History of Hal Haddon. This covers Hal Haddon's description of his work on seven nominating commissions to identify candidates for federal judicial appointments in Colorado under Presidents Carter, Clinton, and Obama, and on the founding of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar in 1978. 

In Hal Haddon's Oral History he was interviewed by Stephanie Howard. The full Oral History ...

This episode is part one of two of the Excerpts from the Oral History of Hall Haddon. This episode covers two important cases in Hal Haddon's  oral history that he handled as a public defender: 1) People v. Sneed (in the early 1970s, which altered the law of first-degree murder in Colorado), and 2) U.S. v. Cameron Bishop (a capital crime charged for “sabotage of a war utility” during a time of a war emergency in 19...

Judge David M. Ebel shares his stories as a law clerk and friend to former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron R.  White (1917-2002). Tune in to learn more about Justice White's storied career including his achievements as an athlete, scholar, lawyer and judge. 

To learn more about Justice White, read this special tribute appearing within the Historical Society's spring/summer 2017 newsletter authored by Judge Ebel. ...

In Part 2 of this special two-part episode, hear the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg tell the incredible story of how she came to challenge a discriminatory provision of the Tax Code in the Tenth Circuit case of Moritz v.  Commissioner of Internal Revenue.  

Read more about Moritz and RBG's now famous 2010 "fireside chat" in Volume IX, Issue 1 (2019) of the Tenth Circuit Historical Society's newsletter: http://www...

In Part 1 of this special two-part episode, retired Tenth Circuit Judge Robert H. Henry shares the events leading up to Ruth Bader Ginsburg's famous speech about the Moritz case, which helped launch her career. Our guest also shares special observations about the inspiring partnership and marriage of Ruth and Martin Ginsburg.

Read more about Moritz and RBG's now famous 2010 "fireside chat" in Volume IX, Issue 1 (2019) of th...

On this episode, the Honorable Judge Bobby R. Baldock shares the story of the Byron White Courthouse in downtown Denver, home to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Learn about how the Court enlisted Congress to secure the space and undertook a remarkable renovation. 

Please note :
After the initial recording of this episode, Judge Baldock desired to clarify three points for our listeners: 

1. The y...