He received a Juris Doctor from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 1949.
[1] Eschbach was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on October 20, 1981, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit vacated by Judge Luther Merritt Swygert.
[1] One of Eschbach's most controversial decisions as a district judge was in the case of Sparkman v. McFarlin, Civ.
F 75-129 (ND Ind., May 13, 1976), in which he held that a DeKalb County judge who ordered the sterilization of a young woman without appointing a guardian ad litem to protect her interests or holding a hearing to take evidence in her case could not be sued for damages.
[citation needed] Eschbach received national attention in 1981 when he sentenced former Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz to 30 days in federal prison for tax fraud.