Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Judges
Denver · 12 active judgeships · Hears appeals from the federal courts in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit is one of the thirteen U.S. courts of appeals, the intermediate appellate tier of the federal judiciary. It hears appeals from the federal district courts within the Tenth Circuit, which covers Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming. Its decisions bind those courts unless reviewed by the Supreme Court of the United States.
10th Circuit judges by appointing president
Of 12 active judges: 5 appointed by Republican presidents, 7 by Democratic.
| Judge | Appointed by | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Harris L. Hartz | G.W. Bush | Republican |
| Timothy M. Tymkovich | G.W. Bush | Republican |
| Jerome A. Holmes | G.W. Bush | Republican |
| Scott Milne Matheson Jr. | Obama | Democratic |
| Robert Edwin Bacharach | Obama | Democratic |
| Gregory Alan Phillips | Obama | Democratic |
| Carolyn Baldwin McHugh | Obama | Democratic |
| Nancy Louise Moritz | Obama | Democratic |
| Allison Hartwell Eid | Trump | Republican |
| Joel McElroy Carson III | Trump | Republican |
| Veronica Sophia Rossman | Biden | Democratic |
| Richard Edward Neel Federico | Biden | Democratic |
Party letters here are the appointing president’s, never a judge’s own: D Democratic, R Republican, N pre-modern-party era (Federalist, Whig, and other early parties); “–” means no recorded party. Counts cover the court’s entire history.
Judges in active service
- Harris L. Hartz
- Timothy M. Tymkovich
- Jerome A. Holmes
- Scott M. Matheson Jr.
- Robert E. Bacharach
- Gregory A. Phillips
- Carolyn B. McHugh
- Nancy L. Moritz
- Allison H. Eid
- Joel M. Carson III
- Veronica S. Rossman
- Richard E. N. Federico
Senior judges
Still members of the court: senior judges have stepped back from a full docket but continue to hear cases.
- Stephanie K. Seymour
- Stephen H. Anderson
- Bobby R. Baldock
- John C. Porfilio
- Wade Brorby
- David M. Ebel
- Paul J. Kelly Jr.
- Mary B. Briscoe
- Carlos F. Lucero
- Michael R. Murphy
- Terrence L. O'Brien
Seats over time
Each band is one judgeship, from the court’s founding to today. A segment’s width is the holder’s tenure; its color is the appointing president’s party. Gaps are vacancies.
David M. Ebel (current) · Allison Hartwell Eid (current) · Bobby Ray Baldock (current) · Harris L. Hartz (current) · Michael R. Murphy (current) · Carolyn Baldwin McHugh (current) · John Carbone Porfilio (current) · Timothy M. Tymkovich (current) · Wade Brorby (current) · Terrence L. O'Brien (current) · Gregory Alan Phillips (current) · Mary Beck Briscoe (current) · Richard Edward Neel Federico (current) · Robert Edwin Bacharach (current) · Stephanie Kulp Seymour (current) · Jerome A. Holmes (current) · Stephen Hale Anderson (current) · Scott Milne Matheson Jr. (current) · Nancy Louise Moritz (current) · Paul Joseph Kelly Jr. (current) · Joel McElroy Carson III (current) · Carlos F. Lucero (current) · Veronica Sophia Rossman (current) · William Judson Holloway Jr. · Orie Leon Phillips
Former judges
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Neil M. Gorsuch | G.W. Bush (R) | 2006–2017 |
| Michael W. McConnell | G.W. Bush (R) | 2002–2009 |
| Robert Harlan Henry | Clinton (D) | 1994–2010 |
| Deanell Reece Tacha | Reagan (R) | 1985–2011 |
| James Kenneth Logan | Carter (D) | 1977–1998 |
| Monroe G. McKay | Carter (D) | 1977–2020 |
| James Emmett Barrett | Nixon (R) | 1971–2011 |
| William Edward Doyle | Nixon (R) | 1971–1986 |
| Robert Hugh McWilliams Jr. | Nixon (R) | 1970–2013 |
| William Judson Holloway Jr. | L.B. Johnson (D) | 1968–2014 |
| John Joseph Hickey | L.B. Johnson (D) | 1966–1970 |
| Oliver Seth | Kennedy (D) | 1962–1996 |
| Delmas Carl Hill | Kennedy (D) | 1961–1989 |
| Jean Sala Breitenstein | Eisenhower (R) | 1957–1986 |
| David Thomas Lewis | Eisenhower (R) | 1956–1983 |
| John Coleman Pickett | Truman (D) | 1949–1983 |
| Alfred Paul Murrah | F.D. Roosevelt (D) | 1940–1975 |
| Walter August Huxman | F.D. Roosevelt (D) | 1939–1972 |
| Robert Lee Williams | F.D. Roosevelt (D) | 1937–1948 |
| Sam Gilbert Bratton | F.D. Roosevelt (D) | 1933–1963 |
| John Hazelton Cotteral | Reassigned | 1929–1933 |
| Robert E. Lewis | Reassigned | 1929–1941 |
| George Thomas McDermott | Hoover (R) | 1929–1937 |
| Orie Leon Phillips | Hoover (R) | 1929–1974 |
District courts in the Tenth Circuit
The federal trial courts whose appeals this circuit reviews.
Practicing before this court
The rules that govern a case here (the Tenth Circuit’s local rules, standing orders, and each judge’s own procedures) live on the court’s official site. Direct links:
Links to the court’s own site, verified 2026-07-05. Rules change. Confirm against the court’s current posting before filing.
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1929. Read more on how federal judges are appointed.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data as of 2026-08-10 (FJC). Verify against the primary source before relying.