Eighth Judicial Circuit
QUINCY — Judge Christopher Pratt has officially launched his campaign to be elected as At-Large Circuit Judge for the Eighth Judicial Circuit for the March 2026 Republican Primary and November 2026 General Election. Pratt was appointed to the position by the Illinois Supreme Court in June 2024 after being unanimously recommended by a local selection…
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QUINCY — The Circuit Judges of the Eighth Judicial Circuit recently elected Mason County Resident Circuit Judge Roger B. Thomson to serve as chief judge. His term began Jan. 1 and will run through Nov. 30, 2027. Thomson succeeds Circuit Judge J. Frank McCartney, who served as chief judge from Dec. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2024.…
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QUINCY — Gabriel T. Grosboll, who has served as the state’s attorney in Menard County since 2017, has been appointed as an at-large circuit judge in the Eighth Judicial Circuit. The announcement was made Friday morning by Justice Lisa Holder White and the Illinois Supreme Court. Grosboll’s appointment becomes effective after he is sworn in…
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QUINCY — Six candidates for a judge vacancy in the Eighth Judicial Circuit recently were rated in an advisory poll of lawyers conducted by the Illinois State Bar Association. Ballots were sent to all ISBA members who practice or reside in the Eighth Judicial Circuit. The advisory poll was conducted by mail and electronically. Licensed Illinois…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lisa Holder White announced late Tuesday afternoon the formation of a judicial screening committee for the Eighth Judicial Circuit. The screening committee was formed to assess the qualifications of six people who applied for appointment to the office of at-large circuit judge for the Eighth Judicial Circuit. The vacancy resulted…
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QUINCY — Chief Judge Frank McCartney rattled off three reasons why the judges of the Eighth Judicial Circuit believe Josh Jones will be an excellent associate judge. Intelligent. Prepared. An effective litigator. McCartney, a judge during several cases Jones tried as an assistant state’s attorney in Adams County, offered one more reason. He turned to…
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QUINCY — Chris Pratt said the difference between being a fry cook at Elder’s Restaurant or being an attorney in the Adams County Public Defender’s Office was a “culture shock.” However, he also said both positions were remarkably similar. “They’re both still in the service industry,” Pratt said during his investiture as an at-large judge…
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QUINCY — Holly Henze is anxious to take over a felony criminal court docket again, but this time it will be from a different perspective. After working in the Adams County Public Defender’s office from 2003 to 2016, Henze has handled the family/divorce docket in Adams County since July 2016 when she became a judge…
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QUINCY — Christopher Pratt didn’t even get to use the new business cards he ordered. Pratt, an attorney in the Adams County Public Defender’s Office since 2016, halted his campaign to run for state’s attorney in Hancock County when he was promoted from deputy chief defender to chief public defender in February after Todd Nelson resigned.…
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QUINCY — Justice Lisa Holder White of the Supreme Court of Illinois has announced the formation of a seven-member judicial screening committee for the Eighth Judicial Circuit. The screening committee, announced in a press release late Friday afternoon, was formed to assess the qualifications of eight people who have applied for appointment to the office…
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QUINCY — Even after his removal as Eighth Circuit judge by the Illinois Courts Commission on Friday, Robert Adrian maintained his innocence in an interview late Friday afternoon with Muddy River News and called the ruling a “total political hit job.” Adrian found Drew Clinton, 18, guilty of felony criminal sexual assault following a three-day bench trial…
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PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Frank McCartney, Chief Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, has announced that Zachary P. Boren has been selected, by the Circuit Judges of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, as Associate Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit. Boren was born in Pittsfield and raised in Pike County, graduating from Pittsfield High School in 1999.…
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FREDERICK, Ill. — A Schuyler County judge was killed Sunday morning when he was hit by a truck while he was riding his bicycle. Ramon M. Escapa, 42, of Rushville was riding his bicycle north on Adams Road near Illinois Route 100 at approximately 9:56 a.m. Behind him was a red 2010 Chevrolet Silverado driven…
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QUINCY — Judge Bob Adrian, who has gained national attention for the reversal of his decision in a local criminal sexual assault case, is no longer handling criminal cases at the Adams County Courthouse. An administrative order signed Thursday by Pittsfield judge Frank McCartney, chief judge for the Eighth Judicial Circuit, detailed the changes in…
Read Full Article July 08, 2025
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