Diane P. Wood was sworn in as the chief judge of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Oct. 1, 2013.The same day, the federal government halted most of its operations as a result of Congress’ failure to pass a budget.When passing the reins of power to her, Wood recalled Judge Frank H. Easterbrook told everyone that the newspaper headline the next day would be: “Wood becomes chief judge; government shuts down.”Wood shared her story at a luncheon Wednesday at the Union League Club organized by the …