Diane S. Sykes
Diane Sykes is an American judge who serves as a senior member of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She has been on the Seventh Circuit since 2004 and served as its Chief Judge from 2020 to 2025.
Diane Elizabeth Schwerm Sykes was born December 23, 1957, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her father, Gerald Schwerm, worked in public service, and her mother, Joyce Schwerm, was a guidance counselor. She grew up in the Milwaukee area, graduated from Brown Deer High School in 1976, earned a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Northwestern University in 1980, and received a law degree from Marquette University Law School in 1984.
Before law school she worked as a reporter for The Milwaukee Journal. She then clerked for Judge Terence T. Evans (1984–1985) and practiced law at Whyte & Hirschboeck (1985–1992). In 1992 she was elected to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, where she handled misdemeanor, felony, and civil cases.
In 1999 she was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to fill a vacancy and won election to the court in 2000. President George W. Bush nominated her to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2003, and she was confirmed by the Senate in 2004. She became Chief Judge of the Seventh Circuit in 2020 and assumed senior status in 2025.
Sykes has been talked about as a potential Supreme Court nominee, including in 2005 and 2017. In March 2025 she wrote to President Donald Trump that she would take senior status on October 1, 2025. She was married to Charlie Sykes from 1980 until their divorce in 1999, and they have two children. She is a member of the Federalist Society.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:45 (CET).