Diane Wood has a long , relatively liberal judicial career . Wood has sat on the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Manhattan since 1995 . In 2002 , she dissented from a court opinion upholding the constitutionality of an Indiana statute requiring women to wait 18 hours and receive counseling and additional information before obtaining an abortion ( A Woman 's Choice-East Side Women 's Clinic vs. Newman , 2002 ) . Rulings on abortion , church - state disputes often result in tough confirmation hearings . She speaks French , German , and some Spanish ; plays the oboe and French horn .
Diane Wood has a long , relatively liberal judicial career . Wood has sat on the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Manhattan since 1995 . Rulings on abortion , church - state disputes often result in tough confirmation hearings . She speaks French , German , and some Spanish ; plays the oboe and French horn .