Diane S. Sykes

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Diane S. Sykes

Diane Schwerm Sykes (born December 23, 1957 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She received a B.S. degree at Northwestern University in 1980, and a J.D. degree at Marquette University Law School in 1984.

Sykes clerked for Hon. Terence T. Evans, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1984-1985, and was in private practice from 1985 to 1992 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She served as a judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Wisconsin, 1992-1999. She was a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1999-2004.

Sykes was nominated by President Bush on November 14, 2003 to a seat on the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and was confirmed 70-27 by the Senate on June 24, 2004.

On joining the Seventh Circuit, Judge Sykes began serving on the same court as her former mentor, Terence T. Evans, who had been elevated to the Seventh Circuit by President Clinton in 1995. It is extremely rare for a judge and a former law clerk to serve together on the same court.

Sykes has been mentioned as a potential nominee to the Supreme Court during the George W. Bush presidency.

External links

• FJC Biography
• CA7 Nomination Announcement | Judiciary Committee hearings text, PDF | Senate debate (150 Congressional Record S7360-S7366) | Senate vote
• 2006 Speech reviewing the Wisconsin Supreme Court's previous term
• Methodology Questionnaire
• Vincent v. Voight - Sykes dissent regarding political questions doctrine
• Wisconsin v. Oakley - Sykes dissent regarding natural rights and due process
• Biographical article from the Wisconsin State Bar Association website.