Denver, CO – Honorable Jerome A. Holmes will become Chief Judge of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals effective October 1, 2022.

“I am humbled and honored to be able to serve my country in the important position of Chief Judge of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals,” Judge Holmes said. “I am particularly honored and gratified to follow in the footsteps of Timothy Tymkovich,” Holmes said; “Judge Tymkovich has displayed remarkable leadership and sound judgment as Chief Judge in helping the court to navigate the difficult and unpredictable challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our court has emerged from the worst of this difficult period as strong as it has ever been. My goal is to simply build on the sterling work of Judge Tymkovich and his predecessor Chief Judges.”

Judge Holmes was appointed to the Tenth Circuit in 2006 by President George W. Bush.

He graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1988 at Georgetown University Law Center where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal.  After law school, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Wayne E. Alley of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma and later for the Honorable William J. Holloway, Jr. of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

After his clerkships he served as an associate in private practice for a few years with a law firm in Washington, D.C. before returning to Oklahoma in 1994 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) for the Western District of Oklahoma. He served in several leadership roles in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division. While an AUSA, he took a leave of absence and earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University’s John. F. Kennedy School of Government.

In 2005, he returned to private practice focusing on white-collar criminal defense, complex civil litigation, and corporate law until his appointment to the bench in 2006.

Since joining the bench he has served several terms on the Tenth Circuit’s Judicial Council. He is currently completing his term on the Judicial Conference of the United States’ Committee on Court Administration and Case Management.

Chief Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich will hand over the position on October 1. He said, “Judge Holmes will bring a fresh perspective and new energy as our incoming chief judge. We look forward to his leadership and stewardship of our Circuit in the years ahead. His perspective from Oklahoma will bring a new look at some of our toughest issues and cases. We wish him good luck.”

The Tenth Circuit, with administrative headquarters in Denver, encompasses the states of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming. Judge Holmes will continue to work from his chambers in Oklahoma City.