Judge Gray Miller: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Judge Gray Miller is a US District Judge in the Southern District of Texas. In a recent ruling, Miller declared that a men-only draft is unconstitutional. Miller was ruling on a lawsuit brought by a group of men’s-rights activists against the Selective Service, which requires men between the ages of 18 and 26 to register with the service. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said that it was unconstitutional to require men to register but not women.

“Forcing only males to register is an aspect of socially institutionalized male disposability and helps reinforce the stereotypes that support discrimination against men in other areas” such as divorce, child custody and domestic violence services, the attorney, Marc Angelucci said. “Women are now allowed in combat, so this decision is long overdue,” he added. “After decades of sex discrimination against men in the Selective Service, the courts have finally found it unconstitutional to force only men to register.”

Miller ruled that the requirement was, indeed, unconstitutional, but he stopped short of requiring women to register with Selective Service. Here’s what you need to know about Judge Gray Miller:

1. He Was Appointed by President George W Bush in 2006

Miller was appointed as a US District Judge by then-president George W Bush in 2006. He was recommended by Senators Hutchinson and Cornyn and was unanimously approved by the Senate after being nominated by the president. Prior to his appointment, Miller was a senior partner at Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., a Houston-based law firm. The firm specializes in finance and energy and has law offices around the world, in Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa.

Miller started out as an associate with the firm, in 1978. He rose to become a partner and then a senior partner before his appointment to the bench.

2. He Spent Nine Years Working as a Police Officer in Houston

Miller was born in Houston, Texas in 1948. In 1969, he went to work as a police officer with the Houston Police Department, serving in the department until 1978, when he joined the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski. While he was with the police department, Miller earned his BA from the University of Houston. He then went on to earn a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center, graduating in 1978.

Miller later said that he was probably chosen for the federal court because of his experience in law enforcement. “I believe they picked me because of my law enforcement experience,” he said. “The others didn’t have real world and practical experience.”

3. He Attended the Merchant Marine Academy

Miller graduated from Strake Jesuit high school in Houston and went on to join the Merchant Marine academy. Miller sailed around the world with the academy, as part of his officer training. He ultimately did not receive a degree from the Merchant Marine Academy, but instead went on to join the Houston Police Department, where he spent nine years. During his time with the Houston Police Department, he earned both a BA and a law degree. Miller left the police department in 1978 to take a job with the Houston-based law firm Fulbright & Jaworski.

4. He Says His Career Path Was Inspired by a Yogi Berra Quote

Miller took an unconventional path to the District Court, starting out in the Merchant Marine academy and then spending nearly a decade as a Houston police officer before earning his law degree. Miller told a group of students at his alma mater, the University of Houston Law Center, that he had always followed the advice of baseball legend Yogi Berra: “when you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

“People ask me, ‘What was your plan? Did you always want to be a judge?’ The answer is ‘no,’ ” he told his audience. “Many people don’t have a plan, or it they do, it doesn’t work out, he continued. “I became a federal judge by a very unorthodox path.”

5. He & His Wife Joanne Have Two Grown Children

An obituary for Judge Gray Miller’s mother, Veronica Gray Miller, says that Veronica was born in Australia and met her husband while he was serving in World War Two. The couple married and moved to the United States, where Gray Miller was born.

The obituary says that Judge Miller and his wife, Joanne, have two grown children and two grandchildren.