The 26th Judicial Circuit will see a new, experienced face serving as associate circuit judge in court rooms this week - Heather Miller was appointed to the role by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Feb. 11.
Miller will fill the associate circuit judge vacancy created by the election of Aaron Koeppen to circuit judge; Koeppen ran unopposed to fill the seat vacated due to the retirement of Judge Peggy Richardson in last year's Nov. 3 general election. The 26th Judicial Circuit includes Moniteau, Camden, Miller, Morgan and Laclede counties.
Miller is no stranger to the area, as she started as assistant prosecutor in Camden County in 2012 during her last year of law school at the University of Alabama. After graduating the same year, she accepted a full-time assistant prosecutor position in Camden County, staying in the role until 2018.
Miller was appointed by the governor to serve as Camden County's prosecuting attorney in 2018, then ran and won her election to be elected prosecutor. Her latest move up the ladder is her appointment to associate circuit judge earlier this month.
Miller grew up in Palmer, Alaska - "Near where Sarah Palin's from, for reference," she said. Though she's been in the law field for about a decade, Miller's previous career was a much different one; both she and her husband were boat captains for around eight years.
The pair was working apart from each other for months at a time but wanted to settle down together and start a family. A career change was in order, so they decided they'd both go to law school, Miller said, a line of work that was already in the family.
"His family are attorneys and have been for a long time," Miller said. "His dad, Jack Miller, practiced in Lebanon for many, many years."
Her husband went first and Miller followed. They both attended the University of Alabama's law school. After they finished, they made the decision to settle down in Missouri.
Years later, Miller said she is now pleased to be able to step into her new role.
"I'm incredibly honored," Miller said. "You know, I would say that the Lake is my home. And it's important to me because this is where we chose to live, chose to raise our family. It's something that I'm proud of."
Miller said she went into law because she wants to serve her community. In working with the prosecutor's office for the past few years, she said she's been able to do that, through things like the area drug treatment court program. She said that work is especially important to her and is one responsibility she's been asked to take on in part in her new position.
Miller said the shift to associate circuit judge gives her a chance to interact with a larger portion of her community and hopefully help them solve the problems in their lives in a way that might stop cases from occurring that end up in a prosecutor's lap.
Miller, though based in nearby Camden County for nearly the past decade, said she has been able to develop some familiarity through all of the surrounding counties her work will now encompass thanks to being able to serve as a special prosecutor.
"You get to know those communities, and be a part of them," Miller said. "It's been really wonderful being able to travel and learn the area around us. The 26th Circuit is home; I'm definitely glad to expand that and be of service."
Though she was only just appointed to her new role on Feb. 11, Miller is set to hit the ground running; she'll start taking cases this week, she said. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an effect on court proceedings in the past year, Miller said, and she plans to be mindful of some of the changes brought on by it moving forward.
"I think that, going forward, I'm going to be very conscious of making sure that we are efficient for certain members of our community," Miller said. "It's very easy to forget when my job is to be in the court room all day, but 99 percent of the people that are in the court room with me, they're missing work, they're missing their family, this is a huge imposition for them. (I want) to make sure that when they do need to come to court that it is a valuable use of their time."