Kirk Wintermute

Gov. Kate Brown has appointed Kirk Wintermute, an Astoria defense attorney, as a judge for the Clatsop County Circuit Court.

Wintermute will replace Judge Cindee Matyas, who plans to retire this month after more than 15 years on the bench.

“I’m honored to follow Judge Matyas, and I’m looking forward to a new challenge,” he said.

A start date for his judgeship still needs to be determined, he said. He will serve out the remainder of Matyas’ third, six-year term. The next election for the post takes place in 2024.

Wintermute will also need to wind down his practice at Kaino & Wintermute in Astoria.

“Kirk is an excellent lawyer,” Judge Dawn McIntosh, the presiding judge of the Circuit Court, said. “He’s smart as a whip. He’s one of the best defense lawyers we’ve got. I’m sorry to lose him from that, but he’s going to be a great addition to the bench.”

McIntosh said that she and fellow Judge Beau Peterson are “both really excited, and I think Cindee was too.”

Wintermute is involved in Matyas’ mental health treatment court, serving as an attorney and advocate for defendants who go through the program. Matyas started the treatment court in 2009 to help offenders suffering from chronic mental health issues, often amplified by substance abuse, from becoming trapped in the criminal justice system.

“He brings to the table a lot of (Matyas’) experience with behavioral health,” McIntosh said.

An alum of the University of Oregon School of Law, Wintermute serves as a judge pro tem for the city’s Municipal Court.

In addition, Wintermute is the board president of LiFEBoat Services, a nonprofit that serves the local homeless population, and the National Alliance on Mental Health’s local chapter.

Other candidates for the vacancy were Senior Deputy District Attorney Scott McCracken and Seaside attorney A.J. Wahl.

McIntosh said she told the governor’s office: “‘You couldn’t have had a better pool to pick from.’”

“Any one of the three could have done the job,” McIntosh said. “But, I gotta tell ya, I think Kirk is a great choice. He’s also a really nice guy. People like him. The staff loves him. I think everybody’s going to be excited to work with him.”

She added: “We’ll miss Cindee, though. We’re going to miss her. But it’ll be fun having a new judge on board.”

The governor has also appointed Denise Espinoza Keppinger, a deputy district attorney in the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office, to that county’s Circuit Court.

“Both of these talented individuals bring deep legal experience to the bench, as well as important perspectives on the different ways the justice system can work to protect the community, while at the same time supporting our most vulnerable Oregonians,” Brown said in a statement. “I am excited to see the contributions they will make to the Clatsop and Columbia county circuit courts.”

Wintermute said he feels honored to serve his community. “It’s where I grew up,” he said, “and it’s where I want to be.”