Judge Chaffin received his undergraduate degree from the University of Idaho in 2005. After moving to Colorado with his family, Judge Chaffin earned his law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law in 2011. After law school, Judge Chaffin worked as a Special Assistant Attorney General at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office in the Consumer Protection Section before clerking for Judge Nancy Lichtenstein at the Colorado Court of Appeals. In 2014, Judge Chaffin moved to Grand Junction and worked as a prosecutor with the 21st Judicial District until 2017. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Chaffin worked as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Colorado prosecuting federal crimes throughout western Colorado. In December 2022, Judge Chaffin was sworn in as a District Court Judge in the 21st Judicial District.