Gov. Kate Brown appointed Willamette Law alumnus David M. Goldthorpe JD’09 to Malheur County district attorney December 2. The appointment is effective Jan. 3. Goldthorpe currently serves as a deputy district attorney in Clatsop County. Since 2015, he has also been an instructor at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.
Goldthorpe fills the vacancy created when District Attorney Dan Norris resigned. The position is filled with an interim DA, Colin Bennett, for the moment.
“David Goldthorpe is a talented prosecutor who has demonstrated a strong commitment to justice during his career,” Gov. Brown said. “I am confident that he will serve the residents of Malheur County well and with the utmost integrity.”
Goldthorpe spent the last seven years in Clatsop County, but grew up in the Boise/Meridian area. In a Dec. 4 Argus Observer story, he said he is humbled to be chosen for the position. The move will bring his family closer to relatives living in Idaho.
“Serving your community and keeping it safe will be a great privilege and an honor,” Goldthorpe said. “I look forward to my family becoming a part of your wonderful community and making it our forever home.”
Goldthorpe received his JD from Willamette Law in 2009 and his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in 2006.
About Willamette University College of Law
Opened in 1883, Willamette University College of Law is the first law school in the Pacific Northwest. The college has a long tradition at the forefront of legal education and is committed to the advancement of knowledge through excellent teaching, scholarship and mentorship. Leading faculty, thriving externship and clinical law programs, ample practical skills courses and a proactive career placement office prepare Willamette law students for today's legal job market. According to statistics compiled by the American Bar Association, Willamette ranks first in the Pacific Northwest for job placement for full-time, long-term, JD-preferred/JD-required jobs for the class of 2014 and first in Oregon for the classes of 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Located across the street from the state capitol complex and the Oregon Supreme Court, the college specializes in law and government, law and business, and dispute resolution.