On January 16, 1967, President Lyndon Johnson nominated Combs to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, replacing the deceased Shackelford Miller, Jr., and the Senate confirmed the nomination on April 5, 1967.[17] Because of the rules of the federal judiciary, Combs had to liquidate his business and banking assets and severely restrict contact with many of his political acquaintances to avoid potential conflicts of interest with cases he might adjudicate on the Court of Appeals.[55] He expressed frustration that the cases that came before the court were frequently appealed to the Supreme Court, which often gave little weight to the opinions rendered by the Court of Appeals.[55] Consequently, he resigned from the court on June 5, 1970, and joined the Louisville law firm of Tarrant, Combs, and Bullitt (later Wyatt, Tarrant, and Combs).[43]