Law
A Career Built on ‘a Strong Public Service Ethos’
Diane Sykes says she owes everything she has accomplished to her parents. Her father, Gerald Schwerm, was a civil engineer with a master’s degree in public administration. He was named village manager of the Milwaukee suburb of Brown Deer in 1966 and played a central role in developing the village. He later became transportation and…
Judge Sykes in Her Own Words
A “Bold,” “Confident,” and Entertaining Moment at the Dedication of Eckstein Hall In the photo above, Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson (left) and Marquette University President, Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., (right), respectively applaud and laugh as Justice Antonin Scalia smilingly greets Judge Diane S. Sykes, upon her introducing him as the…
Minimalism and Its Limits
This is an edited text of a speech Judge Sykes gave as the B. Kenneth Simon Lecture in Constitutional Thought at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., on September 17, 2014, shortly before the beginning of the Supreme Court’s 10th term during the tenure of Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. The full version can…
Lincoln and the Human Dimension of Law Practice
This is an edited text of remarks by Chief Judge Sykes at the Marquette Law Review banquet on March 28, 2025. One hundred and eighty-eight years ago this month, another newcomer to the profession was—like you—standing at the threshold of a career in the law. He started inauspiciously, but Providence had other ideas in mind.…
Citizens United in the Montana Supreme Court
This is an edited text of a talk Judge Sykes gave on a number of occasions, starting in November 2012. When I came to the Seventh Circuit in 2004, I had been a state court judge for 12 years—seven years on the trial-court bench in Milwaukee and five years on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. So…
Judge Sykes in the Classroom
The hundreds of opinions written by the Hon. Diane S. Sykes in her career on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Wisconsin Supreme Court make up a wealth of material about the law. In the links below, seven members of the Marquette Law School faculty discuss how various of Sykes’s…
Restorative justice and the return of purpose: A law student’s reflection
This is the first of three blog posts, at the end of the academic year, by Mary Triggiano, director of Marquette University Law School’s Andrew Center for Restorative Justice.
Marquette Law School Poll finds 4 out of 5 say Wisconsin legislature should have passed Evers/GOP property tax, rebates, and special education bill
Also: Please note: Complete Poll results and methodology information can be found online at law.marquette.edu/poll MILWAUKEE — A new Marquette Law School Poll finds 80% of Wisconsin adults say the legislature should have passed a proposed bill using the projected state budget surplus to reduce property taxes, increase special education funding, and provide rebates to…
2026 COMMENCEMENT SERIES | 21-year-old becomes the youngest Marquette Law School graduate since World War II
On May 16, 21-year-old Anthony Sikorski will be the youngest graduate of Marquette Law School in over 75 years. He started high school at nine, college at 14 and law school at 18. But looking at Sikorski now, you’d never know the challenges he’s had to overcome to achieve such an extraordinary accomplishment.
Wastewater to Wealth virtual event, May 8
Join the Water Law and Policy Initiative for “Wastewater to Wealth,” a virtual event held in conjunction with Chicago Water Week.