Honorable M. Yvette Miller retires after serving the court for 25 years

After an illustrious 25-year career with the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Honorable M. Yvette Miller, ’80, will retire on December 31, 2024. In 1999, she was appointed by Governor Roy Barnes, becoming the 65th judge on the Court. She is the first African-American woman to serve on the Court as well as the first African-American woman to serve as the Court’s chief judge (2009). As chief judge, Judge Miller implemented the e-filing initiative, which has improved access to the appellate court for attorneys and parties throughout the state of Georgia. During her tenure she successfully ran unopposed state-wide for re-election to the Court by the citizens of Georgia for four consecutive six-year terms, most recently in May 2018.

Judge Miller said, “It has been an honor to serve on the Georgia Court of Appeals for the past twenty-five years statewide for four terms without opposition. The Court has grown from 12 judges to 15 judges and functions effectively as one of the busiest appellate courts in the nation. It has been a privilege to serve the people from my vantage point at the court and I have worked hard to make a difference in the lives of all Georgians. I believe I have fulfilled my mission on the court and hope that one day God will say, ‘Job well done, my good and faithful servant.’ I have increased access to justice for all people, including the litigants who come before the court and the attorneys who represent them, with the court e-filing system that I began during my tenure as chief judge.”

Prior to becoming a judge on the Court of Appeals of Georgia, Judge Miller served as a trial court judge for the State Court of Fulton County from 1996 to 1999. She was reelected to this court with no opposition. Before her appointment as a state court judge, Judge Miller served as director and judge of the appellate division and administrative law judge for the State Board of Workers’ Compensation from 1989 to 1992. She also served as an assistant district attorney in Fulton County (the first African-American female to do so) and senior in-house litigation counsel for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). In private practice, she was a general counsel for an automobile dealership in South Georgia.

Judge Miller has broken down numerous barriers for minorities and women in the legal profession. In 2018, she established an endowed scholarship for students at Mercer Law School to promote diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. The scholarship provides assistance to law students with financial need, with a preference for students who are active in the Law School’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA) chapter.

Dean Karen J. Sneddon said, “Judge Miller exemplifies all of the characteristics of a Mercer Lawyer. She is committed to service and advancing justice. We have all been fortunate to have Judge Miller serve as a member of the Georgia Court of Appeals. She leads and inspires. I look forward to learning what her next chapter will be.”

Judge Miller has received many awards for her service and contributions to the community. In 2019, she was honored with the unveiling of her portrait at Mercer Law School. In 2018, she was awarded the Tony Baldwin Trailblazer Award from Mercer University’s Black Law Student Association, and she was awarded the Romae Turner Powell Judicial Service Award by the Atlanta Bar Association. In 2017, Judge Miller was selected by Emory University School of Law as one of the “Emory Law 100,” which is for Emory graduates who have made extraordinary contributions. She was named a Fellow of the American Bar Association in 2016, received The Justice Robert A. Benham Legacy Award in 2016, and the Law and Justice Woman of the Year Award from the Women Works Media Group in 2016. In 2014, Judge Miller was named Jurist of the Year by the National Bar Association’s Women Lawyers Division. She received the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys’ Founders Award for Distinction, and the 2013 Women of Excellence Award presented by the Atlanta Daily World. In 2011, Judge Miller received the Tradition of Excellence Award from the Georgia Bar Practice and Trial Section. She also received the Outstanding Alumnae Award presented by Mercer University School of Law in 2010.

In addition to these prestigious accolades, Judge Miller was inducted into the “Academy of Women Achievers” by the YWCA in 2011 and the “Hall of Fame” by the Gate City Bar Association in 2008. Additionally, the Georgia Informer designated Judge Miller as one of “Georgia’s Top 50 Influential Black Women” from 1991 to 2015.

Judge Miller is a member of the American Bar Association, Atlanta Bar Association, Atlanta Bar Association Judicial Section, Gate City Bar Association, Gate City Bar Association Judicial Section, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, Georgia Association of Women Lawyers, International Association of Women Judges, Lamar Inn of Court, Lawyers Club of Atlanta, Lawyers Foundation of Georgia, Macon Bar Association, the National Association of Women Judges, and a graduate of Leadership Georgia. She was also one of the first women to serve on the Board of Directors of Leadership Georgia. In addition, Judge Miller is a member of several civic associations, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Azalea Chapter of The Links. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Mercer University.

Judge Miller earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Mercer University, juris doctor degree from Mercer University School of Law, LL.M in litigation from Emory University School of Law, and LL.M in judicial process from University of Virginia School of Law.

“It has been forty-four years since my graduation from Mercer Law School,” Judge Miller said. “I owe Mercer a great debt of gratitude for my legal education. Since that time, the president and the administration have expanded this great Law School and its stature throughout Georgia and the United States.

“Here at Mercer, we are so fortunate to have a very diverse and talented group of students who have outstanding professors, first-class resources, and facilities with all the essential ingredients necessary to create a successful legal career. I am humbled by the wonderful career I have had and so many excellent opportunities. It all started here with my alma mater.”