Robert A. Miller was appointed to the State Justice Institute (SJI) Board of Governors in February 1998. The SJI is a non-profit corporation run by the 11 members of its Board of Directors, each of whom is appointed by the President of the United States. Its mission, by law, is to assist state courts through grants and various support programs.
Miller was born on August 28, 1939, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He earned his B.S. degree in 1961, and his J.D. degree in 1963, from the University of South Dakota.
From 1971 to 1986, Miller served as a South Dakota Circuit Judge, and between 1976 and 1986 he was a Presiding Judge. In 1990, he became Chief Justice of the
South Dakota Supreme Court. He retired from the court in September 2001.
Miller and his wife, Shirlee, have five children.