The 3 judges who sided with Ryan

Judge Richard A. Posner, 68, is the best-known federal appellate judge in the country, former Gov. James R. Thompson said Thursday. Posner is the judge most cited by other judges, and that's why Thompson says he hopes the dissent authored by Posner in George Ryan's case catches the attention of the justices on the Supreme Court.

Posner was appointed to the appellate court by Ronald Reagan in 1981. Once talked about as Supreme Court material, he has alienated conservatives with his libertarian streak, ruling against the Bush administration on issues such as the partial-birth abortion ban. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.

Michael Kanne, 68, a former federal judge from Rensselaer, Ind., and an Indiana University Law grad, was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1987. Kanne was the sole member of the three-judge panel that initially heard Ryan's case to rule for Ryan. During oral arguments, Kanne pressed prosecutors on whether the judge had let jurors get out of control during the six-month trial, including unsupervised discussion of the case outside court, and suggested the decision not to sequester the jury was a mistake.

Ann Claire Williams, 57, was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1985. At her installation, Williams strongly thanked Ryan's lawyer, Thompson, for being instrumental in helping her get the appeals court seat. Williams was elevated to the federal appellate court by Bill Clinton in 1999. Williams is a former federal prosecutor and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School.