Introducing: Tales from the 10th

A new podcast brought to you by the Tenth Circuit Historical Society and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Featuring Alleen VanBebber

www.10thcircuithistory.org

Transcript

SPEAKERS

Leah C. Schwartz, Tina Howell

Leah C. Schwartz  00:08

Hello, and welcome to Tales from the 10th, a podcast about the rich history, culture, and contributions of the 10th circuit, brought to you by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit and the 10th Circuit Historical Society. I'm your host, Leah Schwartz.

Tina Howell  00:23

And I'm producer Tina Howell.

Leah C. Schwartz  00:25

Hi, Tina. Let's tell everybody what this podcast is about.

Tina Howell

Let's do that.

Leah C. Schwartz

Yeah. Because I think there are 1000s of podcasts out there.

Tina Howell   00:35

Actually, there's close to a million.

Leah C. Schwartz

Right. So why should anyone listen to this one?

Tina Howell  00:42

Well, there might be a million, but I think ours is the only one that is dedicated to the 10th circuit.

Leah C. Schwartz  00:47

I think that's probably true. And for those who may not know, Tina, can you explain the 10th Circuit is...

Tina Howell  00:55

Sure, the 10th circuit is one of 13 groups of federal courts, or circuits across the nation. And we're comprised of federal courts in six states, generally located in the mid to Rocky West.

Leah C. Schwartz  01:07

And those states are...my memory....Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

Tina Howell  01:15

You got it. Within those states, federal judges in the district court preside over cases that implicate what's known as federal jurisdiction, as opposed to matters left to the state courts. And then from those district courts if a case is appealed. If it gets decided by the US Court of Appeals for the 10th circuit, based here in Denver, with final appeals going all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Leah C. Schwartz  01:37

Well said and Tina, you are in Denver.

Tina Howell  01:40

I am. I'm in the Byron Rogers courthouse library, just across from the Byron White courthouse. My official title is Emerging Technologies Librarian, and I work with the courts in all six states.

Leah C. Schwartz  01:50

So, I suppose a podcast falls within the category of an emerging technology, then a?

Tina Howell
It sure does. 

Leah C. Schwartz 
And really, Tina, I should explain to our listeners that it is totally thanks to your technological savvy that this show is even happening. I know next to nothing about podcasts, logistics, recording, etc., as evidenced by our test recording last week.

Tina Howell 02:15

Unfortunately, we both have had several malfunctions. But we figured it out. Leah, explain who you are and why you're involved in the show.

Leah C. Schwartz  02:24

Well, I'm a lawyer, I practice general civil litigation, but I have a theater background. And I've always loved podcasts. So, this is kind of a dream come true for me to get to take a break from my day job and pretend to be a radio host. And I also just love listening to judges and lawyers talk about their careers. As a younger lawyer. I'm 36. I feed off stories and lessons shared by other attorneys and judges and I find real inspiration and how people carve out meaningful lives for themselves in the legal profession. 

Tina Howell  03:01

And, where are you?

Leah C. Schwartz  03:02

 I'm recording from my office in Jackson, Wyoming.

Tina Howell  03:03

I love that we're pulling people from all over the circuit. Thank goodness for technology.

Leah C. Schwartz  03:05

I know, even though we're so sick of Soom, right. But I guess that's what happens when a podcast brings up in the midst of a pandemic. And we probably should explain how the idea came about?

Tina Howell  03:18

Well, I think we really had the idea at the same time. And I think we both knew that this podcast format would serve both the courts and the mission of the 10th Circuit Historical Society.

Leah C. Schwartz  03:26

Right. And that's how really, I got involved through my membership with the 10th Circuit Historical Society. I was thinking about how best to explain the Society to our listeners and came across this great quote of one of the society's past board chairs, a Kansas attorney by the name of Alleen VanBebber. Here's a lien who I reached by phone, reading her wonderful quote, featured on the Society's website.

Alleen VanBebber 03:54

In a nation that thrives under the rule of law, the ongoing life of a court is relevant to more than just those who have their day there. From the rough beginnings of Frontier justice, to the tough issues of electronic property rights. The history of the 10th circuit mirrors a broadly brushed picture of the struggles and tragedies, as well as the progress and the good humor of the citizens of its six states. We strive to engage the public with information that shows how legal history, and our daily lives are not separate, but rather, are interwoven. The 10th Circuit Historical Society exists not only for lawyers and judges, but also for anyone else who finds history to be exciting, interesting, or instructive.

Tina Howell 04:47

That's so perfect,

Leah C. Schwartz  04:48
Isn't it, though?

Tina Howell  04:50

It really makes clear that history has life to it. And that's what our show hopes to convey.

Leah C. Schwartz  04:55

For sure. This podcast though, rightfully characterizes What about history is really about highlighting the amazing characters both past and present who star in the stories that make up the various chapters of our circuits ongoing legacy.

Tina Howell  05:10

Hence, Tales from the 10th. For each show you, Leah, will be interviewing a notable circuit figure who will share some unique chapter of our century’s old history.

Leah C. Schwartz  05:20

I can't wait. And Tina, you will be identifying interview subjects and producing our podcast for what I imagine will be a largely western audience of history buffs, legal scholars, just plain old-fashioned story lovers, both lawyers and non-lawyers alike. It's going to be a lot of fun. Yeah, and hopefully I will remember to keep my mic on this time. We've got this please tune in for our first episode of Tales from the 10th. Subscribe and download at the Historical Society's website 10th circuit history.org Or at Apple podcast Spotify or Stitcher

Tina Howell  05:56

Special thanks to Greg Kerwin, Brent Cohen, Stacey Guillon and Diane Bauersfeld.

Leah C. Schwartz  06:02

Thanks so much for listening