--- title: "Timothy M. Tymkovich | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/timothy-m-tymkovich" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Timothy M. Tymkovich U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Since 2008, he has been an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado School of Law, teaching election law - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, 2003-present - Senior Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (since 2003) - In November 2023, Chief Justice John Roberts appointed him to the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review - He then practiced law in Denver and Washington, D.C., before being appointed Solicitor General of Colorado by Attorney General Gale Norton in 1991, a role he held until 1996, arguing cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including Romer v. - After law school, he was a law clerk to Justice William H. Erickson of the Colorado Supreme Court (1982–1983). - Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ### Education - He graduated from Colorado College in 1979 with a B.A. and from the University of Colorado Law School in 1982 with a J.D., serving as editor of the University of Colorado Law Review. ### Additional information - He held the role of Chief Judge from October 1, 2015, to October 1, 2022. - Tymkovich was Chair of the Judicial Conference’s Committee on Judicial Resources (2011–2015) and also served on committees on Judicial Conduct and Disability. - Nominated by President George W. Bush in 2001 and confirmed by the Senate on April 1, 2003, Tymkovich joined the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, succeeding John Carbone Porfilio. - Private practice, Denver, CO, 1996-2003 - Solicitor general, State of Colorado, 1991-1996 - Private practice, Colorado, 1983-1991 - Born November 2, 1956 in Denver, Colorado, Tymkovich is a third-generation Coloradan. - Date of birth: 1956-01-01 - Evans. - Broomfield High School - He is a member of the Doyle Inn of Court, American Law Institute, and International Society of Barristers. - Birth place: Denver, CO ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### appellate oral argument Scope: courtwide In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation. Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391791) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391791) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391791) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3283/timothy-m-tymkovich/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [Federal Judicial Center — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges](https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/history/judges.csv) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3283/timothy-m-tymkovich/) - [Wikidata: Timothy Tymkovich](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7807579) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/timothy-m-tymkovich", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/timothy-m-tymkovich", "name": "Timothy M. 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