Samuel Freeman Miller

Details

Birth

April 5, 1816 · Richmond, Kentucky

Death

October 13, 1890

Law school

transylvania; read law (Self taught)

Prior experience

Various legal and public service prior to appointment

Biography

Samuel Freeman Miller (April 5, 1816 – October 13, 1890) was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1862 to 1890. Born in Richmond, Kentucky, Miller initially pursued a career in medicine, graduating from Transylvania University's medical school in 1838 and practicing as a physician for several years. He later studied law independently and was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1847. In 1850, Miller relocated to Keokuk, Iowa, where he established a successful law practice and became involved in Republican politics, opposing slavery and supporting the Union cause. President Abraham Lincoln appointed Miller to the Supreme Court in 1862, making him the first justice from west of the Mississippi River. Miller served for 28 years and authored approximately 600 opinions, more than any justice of his era. His judicial philosophy emphasized federalism and the protection of individual rights while maintaining respect for state authority. Miller's most significant opinion came in the Slaughter-House Cases (1873), where he wrote the majority decision that narrowly interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment's Privileges or Immunities Clause, effectively limiting federal protection of individual rights against state governments. He also wrote important decisions in Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway Co. v. Illinois (1886), which restricted state regulation of interstate commerce, and dissented in the Civil Rights Cases (1883), advocating for broader federal civil rights enforcement. Miller's legacy reflects the tensions of Reconstruction-era jurisprudence, balancing federal authority with states' rights while grappling with the constitutional implications of post-Civil War amendments.

Notable opinions

• Slaughter-House Cases
• Munn v. Illinois