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Chief deputy DA named new Jackson County judge By Nick Morgan Updated: Dec 16, 2022 05:14 PM A A Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Markiewicz was appointed Jackson County Circuit Court Judge by the governor’s office Friday. Markiewicz began his legal career at the DA’s office 17 years ago. [Jackson County video still] A local lead prosecutor will become Jackson County Circuit Court’s newest judge. Jackson County Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Markiewicz, 44, was selected to fill the vacancy caused by Judge Lorenzo Mejia’s retirement, according to a news release issued Friday by Gov. Kate Brown’s office. Brown selected Markiewicz to the Circuit Court bench in Jackson County effective Dec. 31 alongside Klamath Falls Municipal Judge Pro Tem Stephen Hedlund in Klamath County. In quotes attributed to the governor, Brown called Markiewicz and Hedlund “talented lawyers” who are “ready to make significant contributions to the trial court bench.” “Both will bring a passion for justice, devotion to their communities and empathy for litigants that will appear before them,” Brown stated in the release. Markiewicz was the first in his family to graduate college, according to the governor’s office. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Willamette University and his law degree from the University of Colorado Law School. According to Mail Tribune archives, Markiewicz has been with the District Attorney’s office since 2005, and has been DA Beth Heckert’s second-in-command since she took the helm in 2013. Messages to Markiewicz and Heckert were not immediately returned Friday afternoon, but according to a November 2012 Mail Tribune story after her election, Heckert picked Markiewicz for the role that involves training other lawyers in her department because of his legal and people skills. “I thought he was the best-qualified person for the job,” Heckert said in 2012. In his role as chief deputy DA, Markiewicz has served as lead prosecutor on some of the Rogue Valley’s highest profile cases. This past year, Markiewicz secured an arson conviction for Michael Jarrod Bakkela’s role contributing to the 2020 Almeda Fire, as well as convictions of murder, kidnapping and robbery for the two men who who stood trial in the 2020 homicide of 28-year-old Cody Joseph Baize. The county named Markiewicz employee of the month in May, praising his contributions to the DA’s office since his start as an entry-level deputy district attorney in November 2005. The employee-of-the-month ceremony earlier this year highlighted numerous accomplishments. In 2008, for instance, Markiewicz spearheaded the DA’s office’s role in the multi-agency Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction or STAR team — which also involves resources from Oregon State Police, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Medford police, among other agencies. Markiewicz has been responsible for hiring and training deputy DAs since 2013 and has drafted many policies and procedures within the DA’s office while also prosecuting many complex cases such as financial crimes. Markiewicz is active with the Southern Oregon Campaign for Equal Justice and the Classroom Law Project, serves on the board of the Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon — formerly known as KidTime — and the Southern Oregon Financial Fraud and Security Team and is a member of the Rotary Club of Medford, according to the governor’s office. Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.