Joe Cervantez sworn in as Jackson County’s State’s Attorney

By Keaton Yates, Staff Reporter

December 1, 2020

Jackson County’s newly elected State’s attorney, Joe Cervantez, was sworn in Tuesday by Judge Christy Solverson at the County Courthouse in Murphysboro, Ill.

Cervantez was joined by his two children, seven-year-old Cason and ten-year-old Canon. After the ceremony, he was led through the courthouse to see his future office.

Cervantez, a Carbondale resident and SIU alumnus, who Cervantez joined the Marines upon graduation. He served as an infantry squad leader, platoon sergeant, and platoon commander. In 2010, he returned to SIU to begin his legal education.

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He was then hired as an assistant by Charles Garnatti, a past Williamson County’s State’s Attorney, and continued to work for Brandon Zanotti, Williamson County’s current State’s Attorney.

Cervantez said what qualifies him the most is he has been on all sides of the law. He said he understands the struggle defendants go through and the compassion part of the job.

“This comes with a great responsibility, not just because of the job and the work that we do here, but because of who we do it for,” he said. “We do it for the people and who we get to do this job with.”

Staff reporter Keaton Yates can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @keatsians. To stay up to date with all your southern Illinois news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.