Former DA Eric Nisley is lone applicant for DA position in Jefferson County; Gov. Kotek to consider his references
Former Wasco County District Attorney Eric Nisley
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., March 3, 2025 — Eric Nisley, the former 5-term Wasco County District Attorney, has applied for the open District Attorney position in Jefferson County.
“Mr. Nisley was the only person who submitted an application for appointment as Jefferson County DA,” said Richard Lane, General Counsel to Gov. Tina Kotek. “We intend to review the application, references, and support letters for the Governor’s consideration.”
CCCNews sent the request for information about the appointment process on Fridy, Feb. 28 and also asked:
“Whether Mr. Nisley’s previous suspension from the Oregon State Bar will have any bearing on whether he will receive this appointment or not.”
General Counsel did not respond to this portion of the email. They did not respond to phone calls by the time of this publication.
Gov. Kotek will appoint a District Attorney to take Stephen Leriche’s spot as Jefferson County DA. The deadline for applications was on Feb. 18.
The next election for DA would then be held in May 2026.
CCCNews has reached out to Nisley for comment and will report when additional information is gathered. Nisley was born and raised in Madras, Oregon.
The Jefferson County DA position was left open when 26-year veteran Leriche resigned on Feb. 2 to take a position with the Oregon Department of Justice in Salem to be closer to his father.
Jefferson County District Attorney Stephen Leriche
"I will continue to serve as DA until a replacement is appointed to replace me," Leriche told news station KTVZ21 last month. "I look forward to helping my successor."
In Wasco County, Eric Nisley spent 20 years as District Attorney until his loss at the election polls to Matthew Ellis in 2019. The loss came on the heels of the Oregon Supreme Court upholding an Oregon State Bar finding of fact that Nisley had lied to investigators regarding a covert investigation into the county finance director after she rejected his advances.
Following the suspension in 2019, Oregon's Attorney General advised Governor Kate Brown that Nisley's suspension actually vacated his position as District Attorney, leading to the state's intervention in the Wasco County DA's office.
Nisley was prevented from returning to the job of DA in Wasco County temporarily until Nisley took the case to the Oregon Supreme Court arguing that the suspension did not warrant his removal from elected office.
The Oregon Supreme Court ruled in his favor, determining that such a brief suspension did not render the office vacant, allowing him to resume his duties in September 2020 to complete his term.
In response to his removal, Nisley filed a lawsuit against the Oregon Attorney General, her deputy, and Wasco County, alleging violations of his due process rights and seeking damages for lost wages and benefits. In August 2023, this lawsuit culminated in a settlement where Nisley was awarded $430,000 by the Oregon Attorney General's office.
However, Nisley lost his fifth bid for Wasco County DA several years earlier.
Matthew Ellis
In the 2020 election, Nisley was challenged by Defense Attorney Matthew Ellis in his run for District Attorney.
Nisley, while suspended ran his reelection campaign in May 2020. But he was defeated by Ellis who secured nearly 72% of the vote.
In the months following his defeat, Nisley faced scrutiny for potential violations of state law and ethics rules when Ellis and several defense attorneys filed a complaint with the Oregon State Bar alleging that Nisley and his chief deputy withheld information about former The Dalles Police Officer Jeffrey Kienlen.
They maintained that Nisley withheld a key document from Circuit Court Judge Paul Crowley in a private review of documents concerning Kienlen’s credibility. A letter from The Dalles Police Chief Jay Waterbury states that Kienlen had violated the police policy of truthfulness, yet it was not submitted during the review in 2011, while other “less severe” documents were. Ellis said Kienlen’s truthfulness raised concerns in some 150 cases involving previous convictions and on going cases where Keinlen testified or provided evidence.
However, the complaints against Nisley were dismissed by the Oregon State Bar Association when the facts of the case could not reach the burden of “Clear and Convincing”.
