Judge Talia Wren forged her reputation in the courtroom and beyond as a fiercely intelligent and uncompromising legal mind. Raised in a modest home in Boulder County, Colorado, Talia was the first in her family to attend law school. After earning her J.D. from Yale, she returned west, carving out a national name in environmental litigation—often going toe-to-toe with energy giants and federal regulators alike. Her libertarian-leaning minimalist philosophy took shape early in her career: she believes in the sovereignty of individual rights and views both state and federal encroachments with deep suspicion. Her legal acumen earned her a seat on the Colorado Supreme Court, where she gained renown for her rigorous dissents and deep skepticism of unchecked regulatory power. Now serving as a federal appellate judge on the 7th Circuit, Wren brings her sharp intellect and strategic mind to bear on some of the nation's thorniest legal battles, especially those involving land use, energy law, and individual freedoms. Divorced and contentedly solitary, she lives in a serene mountain home surrounded by law books, pine trees, and a view she once defended in court. Though she rarely shows emotion from the bench, her quiet intensity and unflinching commitment to principle make her a formidable presence in any legal setting. As she often says, “Power justifies itself poorly. That’s why we make it prove every inch.”