--- title: "Diane S. Sykes | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/diane-s-sykes" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Diane S. Sykes U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 2004-present - Justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1999-2004 - Judge, Wisconsin Circuit Court, Milwaukee County, 1992-1999 - After law school, Sykes clerked for Judge Terence T. Evans of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin (1984–1985) and then practiced as a litigator at Whyte & Hirschboeck in Milwaukee from 1985 to 1992. - Law clerk, Hon. Terence T. Evans, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1984-1985 - Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ### Education - Marquette University — J.D. (1984) - Northwestern University — B.S. (1980) - Marquette University Law School ### Additional information - She held the role of Chief Judge from July 3, 2020, until 2025 and assumed senior status on October 1, 2025. - Also considered for the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 and appeared on President Donald Trump’s list of potential nominees in 2017. - The Senate confirmed her on June 24, 2004, and she received her commission on July 1, 2004. - President George W. Bush nominated Sykes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on November 14, 2003, to fill the seat vacated by John L. Coffey. - In 1999, Governor Tommy G. Thompson appointed her to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to fill a vacancy, and she was elected to a full term in 2000. - Elected to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 1992, serving in misdemeanor, felony, and civil divisions until 1999. - Practitioner, 1998-1998 - Private practice, Milwaukee, WI, 1985-1992 - Date of birth: 1957-12-23 - Brown Deer High School - Medill School of Journalism - During her tenure, she gained recognition for her judicial rigor and conservative approach to legal interpretation. - Birth place: Milwaukee, WI ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### appellate oral argument Scope: courtwide In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation. Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392206) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392206) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392206) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3156/diane-s-sykes/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3156/diane-s-sykes/) - [Wikidata: Diane S. Sykes](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5271563) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/diane-s-sykes", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/diane-s-sykes", "name": "Diane S. Sykes | KnowJudges", "description": "Diane S. Sykes, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/diane-s-sykes#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/diane-s-sykes#judge", "name": "Diane S. Sykes", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/diane-s-sykes", "jobTitle": "U.S. Circuit Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392206", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3156/diane-s-sykes/" ], "birthDate": "1957-12-23", "birthPlace": "Milwaukee, WI", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Northwestern University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Marquette University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Brown Deer High School" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Medill School of Journalism" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Marquette University Law School" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "National federal courts", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/national-federal-courts" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Diane S. Sykes", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/diane-s-sykes" } ] } ] } ```