About the 7th Circuit The 7th Circuit covers Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. It has eleven seats, none of which is vacant. Seven judges are male and four are female. One is African American. Reproductive Rights in the 7th Circuit Grade: D- The states in the 7th Circuit receive an average grade of D- regarding reproductive rights. A circuit court ruling in Illinois held that the Illinois Constitution protects reproductive choice to a greater extent than the federal Constitution, and a similar ruling has held in Indiana. Yet the vast majority of laws in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin severely restrict a woman's constitutionally protected reproductive rights. It will be up to the judges who sit on the 7th Circuit Court to uphold or deny a woman's reproductive rights in the face of these legislative obstacles. Acknowledgment: NCJW thanks the NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation for the use of data contained in the "2005 Report Card on Women’s Reproductive Rights" included in Who Decides? The Status of Women's Reproductive Rights in the United States, 14th edition, 2005 In this publication, NARAL Pro-Choice America assigned each state and the District of Columbia a letter grade based on the nature of reproductive rights laws in 19 categories. These grades were averaged to offer a general overview of the status of reproductive rights in each circuit.       Pending Nominees to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals None Judges on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Joel Martin Flaum, Chief Judge, appointed 5/5/87 by President Ronald Reagan Richard Allen Posner, appointed 12/81/81 by President Ronald Reagan Frank Hoover Easterbrook, appointed 4/4/85 by President Ronald Reagan Kenneth Francis Ripple, appointed 5/10/85 by President Ronald Reagan Daniel Anthony Manion, appointed 7/24/86 by President Ronald Reagan Michael Steven Kanne, appointed 5/20/87 by President Ronald Reagan Ilana Diamond Rovner, appointed 7/17/92 by President George Bush Diane Pamela Wood, appointed 6/30/95 by President William Clinton Terence Thomas Evans, appointed 8/11/95 by President William Clinton Ann Claire Williams, appointed 11/15/99 by President William Clinton Diane Sykes, appointed 7/1/04 by President George W. Bush