Chief Judge Diane Wood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has dismissed an ethics complaint filed against Judge Diane Sykes for her appearance with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at the Federalist Society’s annual dinner Nov. 14.
Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) and the heads of the liberal advocacy groups Alliance for Justice and Common Cause made a formal complaint alleging that Sykes violated the Code of Conduct for federal judges because the dinner was a fundraiser. The code forbids judges from participating in fundraising events. Sykes engaged Thomas in a dialogue after the Washington event, attended by more than 1,300 people.
