Mike Schmidt was elected Multnomah County District Attorney in May 2020. He was appointed by Oregon’s governor to begin his term several months early, on August 1, 2020, when the former district attorney retired. His official term, as elected, started January 1, 2021. 

DA Schmidt has led the office through unprecedented situational and capacity challenges during his tenure, including court closures during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting caseload backlogs, a historic lack of public defenders, hundreds of cases resulting from racial justice protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, an increase in gun violence, inadequate social supports to address housing, addiction, and mental health, and community concerns about public safety.

In response, DA Schmidt has reversed a decades-long trend of disinvestment in the agency. He earned County Commission support to add more attorneys, investigators, and victim advocates to the office; launched interagency task forces with dedicated prosecutors and investigators to address auto theft and organized retail theft; and initiated a program to co-locate deputy DAs with community-based partners to provide a hands-on resource for neighbors and businesses. He also secured grant funding to add prosecutorial and investigative resources to address bias crimes and secured investments to replace antiquated information technology that is both inefficient and at risk of failure.

DA Schmidt has advanced work to make the criminal legal system more equitable and to reduce collateral impacts while holding offenders accountable for their actions. He created a Justice Integrity Unit to critically evaluate past convictions and handle expungements; developed a first-of-its kind treatment court for certain Ballot Measure 11 offenders; launched several public-facing dashboards to make MCDA’s work more transparent; implemented an immigration-neutral prosecution policy; and partnered with Oregon Health & Science University to develop gun violence prevention strategies from a public health approach. 

Mike previously served as the executive director of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, as counsel to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, and as a deputy DA for Multnomah County. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College in New York and a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School. 

Outside of work, Mike enjoys playing darts, board games, watching the Blazers and the Saints, and spending time with his family exploring Oregon. He lives in Portland with his wife and kids.