University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law alumnus Timothy M. Tymkovich is the newest member of the United States Court of Appeals, the second highest court in the nation.Ìý
The U.S. Senate confirmed Tymkovich by a vote of 58-41 on April 1. President Bush nominated him earlier this year.
"I was honored to be selected by President Bush for the 10th Circuit vacancy created by Judge John Porfilio," said Tymkovich. "I am grateful for the positive vote by the U.S. Senate and I look forward to serving on the federal bench."
There are 13 U.S. Court of Appeals in the nation. Tymkovich will serve on the 10th Circuit located in Denver and which is responsible for hearing federal cases from Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma and Utah.
Tymkovich replaces Porfilio who elected to go on senior status, a part-time position with the court. President Reagan appointed Porfilio to the 10th Circuit in 1985.
"It is a prestigious and important position in our legal system, the law school is proud of Tim," said David Gosser, assistant dean for alumni relations at the CU-Boulder law school.Ìý
A graduate of Colorado College in 1979, Tymkovich received his law degree from CU-Boulder in 1982. While attending law school he served as managing editor of the University of Colorado Law Review and received the Scribes Award for the best student article published in the review.
CU-Boulder School of Law Professor Emeritus Howard Klemme remembers Tymkovich as "one of the most capable students I have ever had and one of the most decent persons I have ever known."
Tymkovich has broad experience in private practice and government. After graduation, he clerked for Chief Justice William Erickson of the Colorado Supreme Court. In 1983, he joined the Denver law firm of Davis, Graham and Stubbs and practiced commercial litigation. >From 1986 to 1989, Tymkovich worked in the firm's Washington, D.C., office honing his expertise in litigation, regulatory and administrative law.
In 1991, Colorado Attorney General Gale Norton, who is now the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, appointed Tymkovich as Colorado's solicitor general. As solicitor general, he directed legal policy for the state of Colorado and was responsible for legislative matters before the Colorado General Assembly.
Tymkovich has argued cases before the Colorado Supreme Court, the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, state and federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.