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Denver-based US District Court Judge Matsch, who oversaw the Oklahoma City bombing trial, dies at 88

By 05/28/2019 | updated 6 years ago
In this Dec. 12, 1995, file photo, U.S. Federal Judge Richard Matsch is swarmed by reporters and photographers as he arrives at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. Matsch, the no-nonsense federal judge who gained national respect overseeing the Oklahoma City bombing trials died on Sunday, May 26, 2019, Jeffrey Colwell, the clerk of Colorado's federal court said. He was 88.

The no-nonsense federal judge who gained national respect overseeing the Oklahoma City bombing trials has died.

The clerk of Colorado’s federal court, Jeffrey Colwell, says U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch died on Sunday. He was 88.

Matsch was known for his cowboy hat and his short temper with courtroom antics.

As chief judge of the federal court in Denver, Matsch oversaw the 1996 trials that led to the convictions of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols after a judge ruled that neither could receive a fair trial in Oklahoma City.

Matsch imposed a gag order to prevent attorneys from trying their case outside the courthouse.

He received a liver transplant in 2001 after being diagnosed with a disorder that causes a buildup of fluid that can lead to infections.

In this Dec. 12, 1995, file photo, U.S. Federal Judge Richard Matsch is swarmed by reporters and photographers as he arrives at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. Matsch, the no-nonsense federal judge who gained national respect overseeing the Oklahoma City bombing trials died on Sunday, May 26, 2019, Jeffrey Colwell, the clerk of Colorado’s federal court said. He was 88.
(AP Photo/David Longstreath, file)
In this May 1, 1998, file photo, U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch speaks to a Law Day luncheon of the Tulsa County Bar Association in Tulsa, Okla. Matsch, the no-nonsense federal judge who gained national respect overseeing the Oklahoma City bombing trials died on Sunday, May 26, 2019, Jeffrey Colwell, the clerk of Colorado’s federal court said. He was 88.
(Brandi Stafford/Tulsa World via AP)
In this March 27, 1997, file photo, U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch, poses at the federal complex in Denver. Matsch, the no-nonsense federal judge who gained national respect overseeing the Oklahoma City bombing trials died on Sunday, May 26, 2019, Jeffrey Colwell, the clerk of Colorado’s federal court said. He was 88.
(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, file)
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