Gray Miller
2018 - Present
6
Gray Hampton Miller is an Article III federal judge on senior status for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He joined the court in 2006 after being nominated by President George W. Bush. Miller retired from full-time service, assuming senior status, on December 9, 2018.[1]
Charles Eskridge was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) to replace Miller on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Early life and education
A native Texan, Miller graduated from the University of Houston with his bachelor's degree in 1974, and with his J.D. in 1978.[1]
Professional career
Miller worked as private practice attorney licensed in the State of Texas from 1978 to 2006.[1]
Judicial career
- 2006-2018: Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Federal judicial nomination
Southern District of Texas
On the unanimous recommendation of U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchinson and John Cornyn, Miller was nominated by George W. Bush (R) on January 25, 2006, to a seat vacated by Judge Ewing Werlein, Jr. Miller was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 25, 2006, on a unopposed 93-0 vote, and received commission on April 25, 2006.[2] Miller retired from full-time service, assuming senior status, on December 9, 2018.[1]
Noteworthy cases
Third party complaint for alleged funding of terrorism dismissed (2014)
- See also: United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (Odelia Abecassis, et al v. Wyatt, Jr., et al, 4:09-cv-03884)
- See also: United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (Odelia Abecassis, et al v. Wyatt, Jr., et al, 4:09-cv-03884)
On February 12, 2014, Judge Miller granted thirty-three separate motions to dismiss filed by third-party defendants, ruling they were not entitled to relief pursuant to the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), the law under which they filed suit.[3]
In the underlying case, oilmen Oscar Wyatt, Jr. and David Chalmers were sued as defendants for making unlawful payments for oil under the United Nations Oil for Food Program and faced claims of funding terrorism. Wyatt and Chalmers turned around and filed suit as third-party plaintiffs against sixty-two companies and individuals on October 30, 2012, alleging they too made illegal kickback payments to purchase oil from the regime controlled by Saddam Hussein.[3]
Specifically, Wyatt and Chalmers, acting as third-party plaintiffs, asserted that those payments were used to carry out three separate terrorist attacks in Israel in 2001 and 2002. The third-party complaint alleged a single claim under the ATA, asserting that if they were to be held liable for kickback payments, then the other companies named in the third-party complaint should be held liable as well.[3]
Judge Miller noted in his opinion that the ATA did not permit defendants to demand that third parties assist in payment for damages. Miller wrote that "[t]here is no dispute that the ATA does not contain an express right of action for contribution," further noting that Wyatt and Chalmers did not "state a legally cognizable claim" in their complaint. He dismissed the third party complaint with prejudice, denying the oilmen the opportunity to amend their complaint, as doing so would be "futile."[3]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Federal Judicial Center, "Biography of Gray Hampton Miller," accessed December 11, 2018
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Judicial Nominations of the 109th Congress," February 17, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Courthouse News Service, "Oilmen Get No Relief Under Terrorism Law," February 19, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Ewing Werlein, Jr. |
Southern District of Texas 2006–2018 |
Succeeded by: Charles Eskridge
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| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 |
Armijo • Bates • Beistline • Blackburn • Bowdre • Bunning • Bury • Caldwell • Camp • Cassell • Cebull • Clement • Clifton • Crane • Eagan • Engelhardt • Friot • Gibbons • Granade • Gregory • Gritzner • Haddon • Hartz • Heaton • Hicks • Howard • Johnson • Jorgenson • Krieger • Land • Leon • Mahan • Martinez • Martone • McConnell • Melloy • Mills • O'Brien • Parker • Payne • Prost • Reeves • Riley • Robinson • Rogers • Royal • Shedd • B. Smith • L. Smith • Walton • Wooten • Zainey | ||
| 2002 |
Africk • Anderson • Autrey • Baylson • Cercone • Chesler • Clark • Collyer • Conner • Conti • Corrigan • Davis • Davis • Dorr • England • Ericksen • Fuller • Gardner • Godbey • Griesbach • Hanen • Hovland • Hudson • Jones • Jordan • Kinkeade • Klausner • Kugler • Leighton • Linares • Moses • Marra • Martinez • Martini • Mays • McVerry • Phillips • Raggi • Reade • Rose • Rufe • Savage • Schwab • Smith • St. Eve • Walter • White • Wolfson | ||
| 2003 |
Adams • Altonaga • Bea • Benitez • Bennett • Boyle • Brack • Breen • Browning • Burns • Bybee • Callahan • Campbell • Cardone • Carney • Castel • Chertoff • Cohn • Colloton • Conrad • Coogler • Cook • Cooke • Crone • Der-Yeghiayan • Drell • Duffey • Duncan • Erickson • Feuerstein • Figa • Filip • Fischer • Fisher • Flanagan • Floyd • Frost • Gibson • Greer • Gruender • Guirola • Hall • Hardiman • Hayes • Herrera • Hicks • Holmes • Holwell • Hopkins • Houston • Irizarry • Jones • Junell • Karas • Kravitz • Martinez • McKnight • Minaldi • Montalvo • Mosman • Otero • Pickering • Prado • Pratter • Proctor • Quarles • Robart • Roberts • Robinson • Rodgers • Rodriguez • Sabraw • Sanchez • Saylor • Selna • Sharpe • Simon • Springmann • Stanceu • Steele • Stengel • Suko • Sutton • Sykes • Titus • Townes • Tymkovich • Van Antwerpen • Varlan • Wake • Wesley • White • Woodcock • Yeakel | ||
| 2004 |
Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson | ||
| 2005 |
Alito • Barrett • Batten • Bianco • Brown • Burgess • Conrad • Cox • Crotty • Delgado-Colon • Dever • DuBose • Griffin • Griffith • Johnston • Kendall • Larson • Ludington • Mattice • McKeague • Neilson • Owen • Pryor • Roberts • Sandoval • Schiltz • Seabright • Smoak • Van Tatenhove • Vitaliano • Watkins • Zouhary | ||
| 2006 |
Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton | ||
| 2007 |
Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu | ||
| 2008 |
Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White | ||
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
