Judge Vahle was raised in Arapahoe County and graduated from Arapahoe High School. He graduated cum laude from Westmont College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. He then worked for several years at a juvenile detention center, and for a number of months at the Denver Children’s Home before enrolling in Law School at the University of Denver. He graduated a semester early in the top ten percent of his class, and went to work for the District Attorney’s in the 18^th Judicial District. After 12 years in that office he was appointed to the bench by Governor William Ritter in June of 2008.