| Meet Tanya.
Tanya Miller is an accomplished civil rights and criminal defense lawyer. She is a former lawyer for the Department of Justice and former Fulton County Assistant District Attorney. Tanya has an extensive background in advocacy, investigations, criminal law, constitutional rights, community relations, and crisis management. As a former Fulton County prosecutor, she spent 8 years on the frontlines of public safety as a prosecutor in the Crimes Against Women and Children Unit and Homicide Unit, fighting to get justice for victims of unspeakable tragedy. Her current practice specializes in criminal defense, civil rights, and police brutality cases. Tanya, joining forces with advocacy groups and police brutality victims, successfully lobbied to change the Atlanta Police Department's and the Department of Justice's body camera policy to one that provides for increased accountability. Tanya's expertise in constitutional law and public safety has led to multiple appearances on CNN, HLN, and Court TV as a commentator on criminal justice and civil rights cases. She holds a JD from Case Western Reserve University where she was inducted into the School of Law's Hall of Fame in 2021.
Why I'm Running.
I was raised by a single mother who worked hard, did the right things, and still spent her life living paycheck to paycheck to provide for my brother and me. Despite our family's economic struggles, my mother instilled in us the value of hard work, the importance of education, and service to others. I am running for State House to help everyday Georgians - neighbors and community members who have been left behind, forgotten, ignored, or maligned - and folks for whom our system of government has never worked.
I have spent the vast majority of my career as a lawyer working in our criminal justice system. And while the power of an individual advocate fighting for her client can never be underestimated, I have come to understand that creating a just society can only come from impactful, systemic change. I have prosecuted crimes that victimized children, fully knowing that a system that slashes funds to their schools and ignores the need for wraparound services leaves them vulnerable to begin with. As a homicide prosecutor, I have witnessed up close the devastation that gun violence wreaks on our communities and held the hands of domestic violence victims as Republicans in the legislature remove one safeguard after another that would keep guns off the streets and away from their abusers. I have represented and defended BLM protestors in courts while reading about bills in our Capitol that further criminalize a citizen's right to free speech and assembly. These individual stories are the direct result of state legislation, and I want to be part of the change that needs to occur so that equal justice and equal safety can be a reality for every community in Georgia.
As a member of the Georgia House, I will work with the community to protect voting rights so that the sacred right to vote is not abridged or diluted by political gamesmanship. I will fight for a vision of public safety that brings about peace in our communities and criminal justice reform - topics that are central to my identity and my life's work. I want to fight to expand Medicaid and access to healthcare, so no one has to choose between seeking medical care and putting food on the table. I will also be at the forefront of advocating for public education, housing justice, and economic stability because I know that a system that ignores any one of these is a system designed to exclude many of us.
Tanya lives in Grant Park with her daughter. District 62 includes portions of Grant Park, Lakewood Heights, College Park, South Fulton, and East Point. |