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 "excerpt": "Lewis T. Babcock, also known as Lewis Thornton Babcock, is a senior United States district judge for the District of Colorado, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.",
 "snippet": "Lewis T. Babcock, also known as Lewis Thornton Babcock, is a senior United States district judge for the District of Colorado, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.",
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 "markdown": "# Lewis T. Babcock\n\nLewis Thornton Babcock (born 1943) is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado since 2008.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> He was appointed to the court by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> He served as chief judge of the District of Colorado from 2000 to 2007.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup>\n\n| Fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Court | U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> |\n| Appointed by | Ronald Reagan<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> |\n| Confirmed | October 14, 1988, by voice vote<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> |\n| Senior status | April 4, 2008<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> |\n| Born | 1943 in Rocky Ford, Colorado<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> |\n| Education | B.A., University of Denver, 1965; J.D., University of Denver College of Law, 1968; LL.M., University of Virginia School of Law, 1988<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> |\n\n## Early life and education\n\nBabcock was born in 1943 in Rocky Ford, Colorado.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> In a 2020 oral history interview, he described his family's roots in the Arkansas Valley: his grandfather drove a dairy herd to the Rocky Ford area and worked at a lumberyard, hardware store, and grain and feed store, a business that eventually became Green and Babcock, which his father later helped run.<sup>[2](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54170cd0e4b00eba52a2db00/t/6047b665dbe69463bd158ceb/1615312485354/2020-Sept+Judge-LewisBabcock-RevisedFinalVersionOralHistoryInterview.pdf)</sup>\n\nHe received a [Bachelor of Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-arts) from the [University of Denver](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-denver) in 1965 and a [Juris Doctor](https://www.edgepedia.org/juris-doctor) from the University of Denver College of Law, now the Sturm College of Law, in 1968.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> He later earned a Master of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1988.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup>\n\n## Legal career\n\nBabcock began his career in 1968, serving in the Colorado National Guard from 1968 to 1974 while practicing law privately in Rocky Ford from 1968 to 1976.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> He recalled in his oral history that he served part-time as city attorney for Las Animas, Colorado, from 1969 to 1974.<sup>[2](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54170cd0e4b00eba52a2db00/t/6047b665dbe69463bd158ceb/1615312485354/2020-Sept+Judge-LewisBabcock-RevisedFinalVersionOralHistoryInterview.pdf)</sup> He was city attorney of Rocky Ford from 1970 to 1976 and an assistant district attorney in Colorado's Sixteenth Judicial District from 1973 to 1976.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup>\n\nIn 1976, Babcock became a judge on the Colorado District Court for the Sixteenth Judicial District, serving until 1983 and as that court's chief judge from 1978 to 1983.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> He then served as a judge on the [Colorado Court of Appeals](https://www.edgepedia.org/colorado-court-of-appeals) from 1983 to 1988.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup>\n\n## Federal judicial service\n\nPresident [Ronald Reagan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronald-reagan) nominated Babcock to the United States District Court for the District of Colorado on June 23, 1988.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> The Senate confirmed him by voice vote on October 14, 1988, and he received his commission on October 17, 1988.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> He served as chief judge of the district court from 2000 to 2007.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup> He assumed senior status on April 4, 2008.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n1. [Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges: Lewis Thornton Babcock](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377336)\n2. [United States District Judge Lewis T. Babcock: Oral History Interview, September 3, 2020](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54170cd0e4b00eba52a2db00/t/6047b665dbe69463bd158ceb/1615312485354/2020-Sept+Judge-LewisBabcock-RevisedFinalVersionOralHistoryInterview.pdf)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Courts and legal practice › Legal biographies › United States judges › US federal judges › Article III judges (district and appellate) › United States district court judges › Surnames A to Bi*\n\n*Initially written Sep 27, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 29, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 29, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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