Cultivating Freedom: Dr. Nicholas Miller’s Pursuits in Law, Religion, and Liberty

Dr. Nicholas Miller was born in Nottingham, England, but was raised in Southern California, where his father worked as an auditor for the Adventist Church. As a teenager, he was drawn to the study of the Bible and prophecy and developed an interest in religious liberty. He studied theology and pre-law at Pacific Union College and, later, went to Columbia University Law School in New York City, where he focused on First Amendment and Constitutional law.

After graduation, Dr. Miller started practicing for a law firm in Seattle, WA, specializing in free speech issues. He then followed his wife, Leanne Miller, who had a pediatric residency, to Washington, D.C. There, he worked for the government and specialized in constitutional rights defense.

Shortly thereafter, he became the executive director of the Council on Religious Freedom, helped draft and pass religious liberty legislation, testified before Congressional staff, and appeared before the Supreme Court in a landmark First Amendment case. He then joined the religious institutions practice group of a major D.C. law firm.

He was then invited by Dr. Roy Branson to teach courses at Washington Adventist University’s Center for Law and Public Policy and helped to establish its first Mock Trial team.

After briefly moving to Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Miller then moved to Michigan to complete his Ph.D. in religious and legal history at Andrews University. For more than 15 years, he worked at Andrews’ Theological Seminary, directing the International Religious Liberty Institute and teaching church history.

A little over two years ago, Dr. Miller was approached to teach religious liberty courses at WAU in the Honors College. Later, in 2022, he decided to move his family to Silver Spring, MD. Dr. Miller has been teaching as a Professor of Law and Religion since. In 2023, he was announced as the Co-Director of the Center of Law and Public Policy in the Honors College. Starting with the re-establishment of the Mock Trial team since its hiatus in 2020 and the establishment of the Roy Branson Fellowship Program, Dr. Miller hopes to continue to expand WAU’s pre-law program and provide avenues for learning opportunities in legal and public affairs and religious liberty.

Dr. Nicholas Miller is married to Leanne Miller, an accomplished singer, violinist, and practicing pediatrician, and they have three children—Patrick, Kelli, and Nicole. He enjoys scuba diving, mountain climbing, and playing basketball and soccer with his students and children.