Meet Grant Amjad Miller

Grant is a public defender and 40 Under 40 honoree who has dedicated his life to public service.

native Utahn

One year old Grant with his father sledding in liberty park, 1991

Grant is Palestinian American. His mother is from the West Bank and his father is from Wisconsin. His family moved to Bryan Avenue in Salt Lake City when he was one year old.

Grant had deep roots growing up in Utah. He was a Junior Jazz basketball player in grade school. As a Jordan High Beetdigger, he was debate state champion in Student Congress. He graduated from Snow College cum laude where he studied art and communication.

Musician turned law student

L’anarachiste in a photograph for city weekly magazine after the being honored as “band of the year” in 2013

Grant applied to law school in 2013 - and was rejected. While taking time to study to retake the LSAT, he joined folk band L’anarchiste as a trombone player and spent the year touring and recording. The band’s album “Giant” achieved mainstream critical acclaim, including positive reviews from the Wall Street Journal and NPR’s Weekend Edition.

dedication to legal service

In 2014, Grant was accepted to law school at the University of Utah. In between his studies, he dedicated his time to service in pro bono legal clinics, including drafting expungements for people who deserved a chance at a clean slate. He was elected president of the Student Bar Association in his third year and scored in the 90th percentile on the Bar exam after graduation.

He still has his law school rejection letter framed next to his law degree.

Public Defender - attorney for everyone

With a desire to help some of the most vulnerable people in the court system, Grant joined the public defender office in Salt Lake. Focusing on rehabilitative and restorative justice, Grant has worked on thousands of cases with people who live in poverty, which provided him with specific insights into Salt Lake’s homelessness crisis. Grant has helped countless Utahns connect to resources in order to address mental health, substance abuse, and housing issues. He has worked every kind of criminal case, from traffic tickets to homicides.

Grant with his case files in his office after a day in court, 2018.

community leader

In 2018, Grant became the director of the Utah chapter of Wills For Heroes, an organization that provides free estate plans for firefighters and police officers. He joined leadership on the Liberty Wells Community Council in 2020 where he still serves the board as secretary and helps with community projects.

He became president of the Young Lawyer Division of the Utah State Bar in 2021, where he oversaw the administration of several free public legal clinics and provided scholarships for law students and high school debaters. He sat ex officio on the Utah State Bar Commission and represented Utah at the American Bar Association YLD assembly.

In 2023, Utah Business Magazine recognized him as one of their “40 Under 40” honorees. He is the first public defender to be recognized with that achievement.

Grant speaking at Law Day in 2022

proud and dedicated husband

Grant with Karly after their wedding at the courthouse

Grant is happily married to the love of his life Karly. As colleagues from law school and fellow attorneys, Grant proposed marriage after years of companionship. They had their wedding ceremony at the Utah Supreme Court in 2022. As a couple, they purchased their first home together in the heart of Salt Lake City.

Defending our communities

Grant believes that we don’t have to accept the world as it is, but rather, work to make it what it should be. In the courts, he defended some of the most vulnerable individuals. In the Legislature, he will defend our most vulnerable communities.

He is running for House District 24 to improve the criminal legal system by creating more resources for substance abuse and mental wellness. He believes we need to protect the Great Salt Lake from the specter of drought. He will draw on his experience to ensure that the city’s unsheltered are treated with dignity and have the resources they need.

With competence, courage, and compassion, Grant will bring positive change and opportunity to Salt Lake City.