Paul Steven Miller
Encyclopedia
Paul Steven Miller was the Henry M. Jackson
Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law
. He was a Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC) for almost 10 years, and in 2009 he was chosen to serve as a special assistant
to President Barack Obama
. Miller, who had the genetic condition achondroplasia
(a type of dwarfism
) and was 4 in 5 in (134.62 cm) tall, was known as a leader in the disability rights movement
and an expert on anti-discrimination law
.
in Huntington, New York
. Miller attended the University of Pennsylvania
, where he was active in the comedy troupe Mask and Wig
, received his B.A. cum laude in 1983, and subsequently served as a university trustee. He went to Harvard Law School
and received his J.D.
in 1986.
When Miller graduated from Harvard Law, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
had not yet been adopted; despite his academic credentials, Miller encountered considerable resistance in his efforts to find a job. He later said that he received 45 rejection letters without a single callback, and repeatedly found that law firms would show interest in him, based on his resume, and then lose interest when they discovered his height. He said that one firm told him they were afraid clients would consider his employment a "circus freak show". Miller eventually became a litigation associate
at the Los Angeles
law firm then known as Manatt, Phelps, Phillips & Kantor
. (Miller's stint at Manatt Phelps has been identified as an inspiration for the character "Hamilton Schuyler", a dwarf lawyer portrayed by actor David Rappaport
in the television series L.A. Law
.)
In 1990 Miller became director of litigation for the Western Law Center for Disability Rights at Loyola Law School
in Los Angeles. After the election of Bill Clinton
as president in 1992, Miller worked for the transition team as a disability outreach and search manager. He subsequently held posts as deputy director of the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs
and White House liaison to the disability community.
In 1994 President Clinton appointed Miller to be a Commissioner of the EEOC, Miller served a total of ten years, one of the longest tenures of any commissioner in EEOC history. At the EEOC, he worked to develop an alternative dispute resolution
program to resolve discrimination claims before litigation. In August 2004 Miller resigned to become a professor at the University of Washington (UW) Law School; his seat on the EEOC remained empty until January 2006, when it was finally filled by another noted disability activist, Christine M. Griffin. UW made Miller the Henry M. Jackson Professor of Law in January 2008. At the installation ceremony for this position, Miller's law school colleague Anna Mastroianni commented,"Paul Miller may have been born a dwarf, but in reality he is a giant. We are all better for seeing a little further from the perch of his shoulders."
In his later career, Miller wrote about the interplay of disability rights and genetic science, writing papers with titles such as "Is There a Pink Slip in My Genes?" and "Avoiding Genetic Genocide". Among other issues, Miller discussed the potential for people to lose their jobs because of the disclosure of their future health risks. Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health
and leader of the Human Genome Project
, noted that Miller's "persistence paid off: after more than a decade of frustration, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
was finally signed into law in 2008. Paul was one of its biggest heroes."
In February 2009, Miller was appointed as a special assistant to President Barack Obama, with responsibility for managing political appointments at the U.S. Department of Justice and other positions in the new administration, as well as for positions relating to disability programs.
Miller suffered from tumors in his arm during the last decade of his life. An amputation did not prevent the cancer's recurrence, and he died on October 19, 2010.
. In 2002 this organization presented Miller with its annual Award for Promoting Awareness of Individuals with Dwarfism.
Miller was a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar, Parsons Visiting Scholar at the University of Sydney Faculty of Law
, and a Fellow of the British-American Project
. In 2003 Miller was awarded an honorary
Doctor of Laws degree by City University of New York School of Law
.
Henry M. Jackson
Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson was a U.S. Congressman and Senator from the state of Washington from 1941 until his death...
Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law
University of Washington School of Law
The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington.The most recent 2012 U.S...
. He was a Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...
(EEOC) for almost 10 years, and in 2009 he was chosen to serve as a special assistant
Executive Office of the President of the United States
The Executive Office of the President consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President. The EOP is headed by the White House Chief of Staff, currently William M. Daley...
to President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Miller, who had the genetic condition achondroplasia
Achondroplasia
Achondroplasia dwarfism occurs as a sporadic mutation in approximately 85% of cases or may be inherited in an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that is a common cause of dwarfism...
(a type of dwarfism
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
) and was 4 in 5 in (134.62 cm) tall, was known as a leader in the disability rights movement
Disability rights movement
The disability rights movement is the movement to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for people with disabilities. The specific goals and demands of the movement are: accessibility and safety in transportation, architecture, and the physical environment, equal opportunities in independent...
and an expert on anti-discrimination law
Anti-discrimination law
Anti-discrimination law refers to the law on people's right to be treated equally. Some countries mandate that in employment, in consumer transactions and in political participation people may be dealt with on an equal basis regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality and sometimes...
.
Biography
Miller was born in Flushing, New York and attended John Glenn High SchoolJohn Glenn High School (Huntington, New York)
John Glenn High School is a high school located in East Northport, New York of about 800 students and 100 faculty serving residents of the Elwood School District.- History :...
in Huntington, New York
Huntington, New York
The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
. Miller attended the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, where he was active in the comedy troupe Mask and Wig
Mask and Wig
The Mask and Wig Club, founded in 1889 by Clayton Fotterall McMichael, is the oldest all-male collegiate musical comedy troupe in the United States...
, received his B.A. cum laude in 1983, and subsequently served as a university trustee. He went to Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and received his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1986.
When Miller graduated from Harvard Law, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
had not yet been adopted; despite his academic credentials, Miller encountered considerable resistance in his efforts to find a job. He later said that he received 45 rejection letters without a single callback, and repeatedly found that law firms would show interest in him, based on his resume, and then lose interest when they discovered his height. He said that one firm told him they were afraid clients would consider his employment a "circus freak show". Miller eventually became a litigation associate
Associate attorney
An associate attorney is a lower-level employee of a traditional law firm who does not hold an ownership interest as a partner.-Attorneys:An associate may be a junior or senior associate, but normally does not yet hold an ownership interest in the firm even if they have been associated with the...
at the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
law firm then known as Manatt, Phelps, Phillips & Kantor
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is a Los Angeles-based law firm of more than 400 attorneys and other professionals founded in 1965. The firm earned revenues of nearly $260 million in 2010...
. (Miller's stint at Manatt Phelps has been identified as an inspiration for the character "Hamilton Schuyler", a dwarf lawyer portrayed by actor David Rappaport
David Rappaport
David Stephen Rappaport was an English actor, probably one of the best known dwarf actors in television and film...
in the television series L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
.)
In 1990 Miller became director of litigation for the Western Law Center for Disability Rights at Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law , it...
in Los Angeles. After the election of Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
as president in 1992, Miller worked for the transition team as a disability outreach and search manager. He subsequently held posts as deputy director of the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs
Office of Consumer Affairs
An Office of Consumer Affairs most often refers to a government office dealing with matters of consumer protection.In different jurisdictions, it may be referred to as a department, an office, a ministry or a more local title.Examples are:...
and White House liaison to the disability community.
In 1994 President Clinton appointed Miller to be a Commissioner of the EEOC, Miller served a total of ten years, one of the longest tenures of any commissioner in EEOC history. At the EEOC, he worked to develop an alternative dispute resolution
Alternative dispute resolution
Alternative Dispute Resolution includes dispute resolution processes and techniques that act as a means for disagreeing parties to come to an agreement short of litigation. ADR basically is an alternative to a formal court hearing or litigation...
program to resolve discrimination claims before litigation. In August 2004 Miller resigned to become a professor at the University of Washington (UW) Law School; his seat on the EEOC remained empty until January 2006, when it was finally filled by another noted disability activist, Christine M. Griffin. UW made Miller the Henry M. Jackson Professor of Law in January 2008. At the installation ceremony for this position, Miller's law school colleague Anna Mastroianni commented,"Paul Miller may have been born a dwarf, but in reality he is a giant. We are all better for seeing a little further from the perch of his shoulders."
In his later career, Miller wrote about the interplay of disability rights and genetic science, writing papers with titles such as "Is There a Pink Slip in My Genes?" and "Avoiding Genetic Genocide". Among other issues, Miller discussed the potential for people to lose their jobs because of the disclosure of their future health risks. Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
and leader of the Human Genome Project
Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project is an international scientific research project with a primary goal of determining the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA, and of identifying and mapping the approximately 20,000–25,000 genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional...
, noted that Miller's "persistence paid off: after more than a decade of frustration, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 , is an Act of Congress in the United States designed to prohibit the improper use of genetic information in health insurance and employment...
was finally signed into law in 2008. Paul was one of its biggest heroes."
In February 2009, Miller was appointed as a special assistant to President Barack Obama, with responsibility for managing political appointments at the U.S. Department of Justice and other positions in the new administration, as well as for positions relating to disability programs.
Miller suffered from tumors in his arm during the last decade of his life. An amputation did not prevent the cancer's recurrence, and he died on October 19, 2010.
Honors
Early in his career Miller had become a leader of the Little People of AmericaLittle People of America
Little People of America is a non-profit organization which provides support, resources and information to individuals with dwarfism and their families...
. In 2002 this organization presented Miller with its annual Award for Promoting Awareness of Individuals with Dwarfism.
Miller was a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar, Parsons Visiting Scholar at the University of Sydney Faculty of Law
Sydney Law School
Sydney Law School is the law faculty of the University of Sydney and is regarded as one of the most prestigious institutions of legal education in Australia and the Asia Pacific. Located in the main Camperdown campus of the University, with some operations at the St...
, and a Fellow of the British-American Project
British-American Project
The British-American Project is a fellowship of some 600 leaders and opinion formers from a broad spectrum of occupations, backgrounds and political viewpoints, drawn in equal numbers from the United States and the United Kingdom...
. In 2003 Miller was awarded an honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Doctor of Laws degree by City University of New York School of Law
City University of New York School of Law
CUNY School of Law is a law school in New York City, founded in 1983.In 1981, CUNY hired Charles Halpern to be its founding Dean. This law school was established as a public interest law school. The curriculum integrates clinical teaching methods with traditional areas of legal study.In Spring of...
.
External links
- Obituary of Paul Steven Miller at University of Washington School of Law website