Schuyler County State’s Attorney Ramon Escapa has been named resident 8th circuit court judge by the Illinois Supreme Court. Escapa is being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Scott Butler on October 1st. Butler served as a resident circuit judge in Schuyler County for the Eighth Judicial Circuit since 2016 and previously was an associate circuit judge from 2005 to 2016.
Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman made the announcement late yesterday. The appointment takes effect December 4th and will conclude December 5, 2022, when the vacancy will be filled by the winner of the November 2022 general election.
Escapa, a Democrat, has been Schuyler County state’s attorney since 2012, winning re-election in 2016 and 2020. He defeated incumbent Teena Griffin for the position back in 2012. The 40 year old Escapa is a 1998 Rushville High School graduate. He serves in the Illinois National Guard where he has been a judge advocate, offering legal support to commanders involving military operations. Escapa later was a police officer in Beardstown and a Schuyler County deputy. He was also an English teacher in Beardstown. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2009 after receiving his juris doctorate at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Before his election as state’s attorney, he was a partner at the law firm of Lucie, Scalf, Escapa and Graham in Macomb, where he worked for three years.
The 8th Circuit covers Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Mason, Menard, Pike, and Schuyler counties.