She then served as Director of the Douglas County Legal Aid Clinic in Lawrence, Kansas, until 1977.

[1] On October 31, 1985, Tacha was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a new seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit created by 98 Stat.

She was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 16, 1985, and received her commission the same day.

[1] In 2008, Tacha received the 26th Annual Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award from the American Judicature Society.

On February 10, 2011, Tacha was named Dean of the Pepperdine University School of Law, taking up that post after retiring from the federal bench on June 1, 2011.