November 11, 2019

Biographical Information:
Name: Steve Miller
Age: 56
Community of residence (If city of San Diego, specify neighborhood): La Jolla
Years in county: 56
Education (list degree and school):
AB Dartmouth College ,
JD U.S.C. Law School
Occupation: Retired Federal Prosecutor
Prior political offices (list offices and years): None. Experience of a Prosecutor, not a Politician.
Prior campaigns for this office: None
Campaign website: returntojustice.com

1) Why do you want to be (or continue as) the superior court judge for office no. 37?

San Diego wants and deserves to have confidence in their judges, the judicial process, and the justice system. I want to repair and restore that confidence in seat 37. Superior Court is San Diego County’s trial court. I want to bring my over two and half decades of trial and appellate experience to the Superior Court, and continue my career in public service.

2) What do you see as the three greatest safety issues impacting the office?

All the public safety issues address application of the criminal law, the branch of the law with which I have the most experience:

• The First safety issue is recidivism of criminal conduct.
• The Second safety issue is proliferation of crimes involving firearms.
• The Third safety issue is the failure to provide support system for individuals convicted of felonies.

3) How would you bring about change to the three issues mentioned above?

Criminal law is designed punish, deter, and protect. A court must use wisdom to balance all of those goals. Wisdom must come from experience, and the recognition that the law is based on common sense. Common sense is really nothing more than envisioning cause and effect. All a judge can use, and what I hope to bring to the court, is the wisdom from my experience and the application of common sense. A judge’s decisions must maximize deterrence of future criminal conduct, but a judge must be wise enough to recognize no punishment will deter future conduct if there is no incentive to remain crime free. That’s why there needs to be a support safety net once a sentence is finished. This would include drug treatment, mental health counseling, and job training and placement services.

4) What would you like voters to know about you?

My entire career has been as a criminal prosecutor dedicated to public safety, litigating cases in the trial and appellate courts, both state and federal. My father was Edwin Miller, San Diego’s District Attorney for 24 years, and he taught me the importance of public service and the guiding principle of “Do the right thing.” I went into the family business, starting with writing criminal briefs for the California Attorney General, and eventually trying scores of jury trials and handling 100 appeals as a Deputy City Attorney, Special Deputy District Attorney, and a Federal Prosecutor.

5) Why should people vote for you?

I have the most experience, the best experience, and the right experience to take the Superior Court bench. I have spent my entire career litigating cases in trail and appellate courts. I have prosecuted everything from minor traffics tickets to homicides, kidnapping, and transnational criminal organizations. I am the candidate to restore the confidence of the public to seat 37 of the Superior Court. To restore confidence, I recognize the essential foundation of the law is common sense. I am a registered independent, and am not bound or beholden to any political ideology or agenda, except to “Do the right thing.”

6) Is there anything else you'd like to add that is not already mentioned?

I have been endorsed by Carl DeMaio, and am listed on his voters guide. I have also been endorsed by several retired Superior Court Judges. Among those judges are Frank Brown, the judge who held seat 37 before the incumbent, and Larry Stirling, a former Assemblyman and State Senator. I also have the endorsement of the incumbent’s opponent from six years ago, Garland Peed.