Praise for an Exemplar of the Marquette Lawyer—and of a Judge (Seventh Circuit Day, Part 4)

Seventh Court Part 4
Judge Diane Sykes speaks at a Marquette Law School reception in Eckstein Hall’s Zilber Forum on Sept. 25, 2025.

“Bittersweet.” That was the word Judge Diane Sykes used to describe her final days as chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, including the court’s day of hearings and other events at Marquette Law School on September 25, 2025 (aspects of which were described here, here, and here).

“Sweet” was the only aspect of the word on which the 200 or so people at a reception in Eckstein Hall’s Zilber Forum at the end of the day focused. Perhaps there would have been a concluding reception in any event, but Sykes, L’84, is one of the most distinguished graduates of the Law School. She served as a circuit court judge in Milwaukee County, a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and, for 21 years (and counting), a judge of the Seventh Circuit. So the conclusion of her chief judgeship, just a few days later, merited marking, even celebration.

Sykes has kept the Law School close to her heart, taking part in programs and helping students for many years, as recently as August 22, 2025, when she administered the future attorney’s pledge to new first-year students—the Class of 2028. In every role she has had, Sykes has carried herself with intelligence, professionalism, grace, and warmth, which was why the reception honoring her was filled with good feeling.

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Appellate Judges Give a Window into How They Do Their Work (Seventh Circuit Day, Part 3)

In two noteworthy ways, the term “dialogue” was central to an event involving four judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit at Eckstein Hall on September 25, 2025.

Seventh Circuit
Seventh Circuit Judges Michael Brennan, Diane Sykes, Frank Easterbrook, and Michael Scudder participate in a CLE session at Marquette Law School’s Lubar Center on Sept. 25, 2025.

A daylong visit by Seventh Circuit judges to Marquette Law School had multiple components. It included a morning session in the Law School’s Lubar Center in which the court heard arguments on six cases; a midafternoon program in which the judges discussed their work with an audience of Marquette law students; and an end-of-day reception which included a recognition of the Hon. Diane S. Sykes, L’84, as she completed her term as chief judge of the Seventh Circuit and assumed senior status (the next blog post in this series will say a few words about that event).

Even beyond all of this, the day included a late-afternoon CLE panel discussion program, before about 200 lawyers in the Lubar Center. It was titled “Judges on Judging: A Window into Appellate Decision Making” and moderated by Marquette Law School Professor Chad Oldfather.

That is the first reason to use the term “dialogue.” The relatively informal program offered a chance to hear collegial conversation among Chief Judge Sykes and Judges Frank H. Easterbrook, Michael B. Brennan, and Michael Y. Scudder about how they approach cases that come before them.

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Lessons in the Law and Civic Life

Fall 2025 Magazine CoverWhat should be the goal of a law school? Obviously, educating students to be excellent lawyers is at the core. But the life of a law school goes far beyond the walls of a building and what happens in classrooms.

The Fall 2025 issue of the Marquette Lawyer magazine gives insights into how far the reach of a law school can and should extend. From the dignified proceedings of appellate courts to the sometimes-contentious atmosphere of school board meetings, from the harsh insides of prisons to the world of water policy, from kindergarten through twelfth-grade classrooms to enjoyable vacations—they’re all part of this issue. And there’s plenty more about life inside Marquette Law School and legal education.

The cover story of the magazine, headlined “Courts or Community Conversations?,” sets the theme. In his E. Harold Hallows Lecture at Marquette Law School on March 3, 2025, the Hon. Michael Y. Scudder, a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, discussed some of the constitutional limits on bringing issues before federal courts. He expanded on this by suggesting that constitutional limits on jurisdiction protect First Amendment interests and the value of democratic self-government, ensuring that state institutions such as city councils and school boards remain at the center of debate and decision.

The magazine offers a text of Scudder’s lecture and amplifies on his theme with two companion pieces: Professor Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, provides insights from recent Marquette Law School Poll results on the involvement of people across the nation in civic life, including participation in government, religious, and community organizations. And, in an edited transcript of their conversations in person and by email, Scudder and Franklin reflect on broad issues of involvement in civic life.

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