Bronwyn Catherine Miller, a judge on Florida's Third District Court of Appeal, faces a nonpartisan retention vote on Nov. 3, 2026. Voters in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties will decide whether to keep her on the bench.

Asked why she is running, Miller said in our candidate questionnaire: "My current term expires in January 2027, therefore I must seek retention to continue serving. I thoroughly enjoy serving the community as a judge and look forward to continuing to promote stability, transparency, and evenhandedness in the administration of justice."

Candidate information

Party: Miller said in our questionnaire, "All judges are non-partisan."

Education: Miller said in our questionnaire: "University of Miami School of Law (J.D. 1997) Barnard College at Columbia University (B.A. 1994, Political Science) Oxbow High School (1990)."

Family: Miller said in our questionnaire: "I am married to Maury Udell, a civil attorney, whom I met at the University of Miami, and we have three children together, Miles (age 17), Rayna (age 15), Liam (age 10). My two oldest children attend Ransom Everglades School and my youngest attends Gordon Schools of Beth David."

Miller said she is "the only member of my family who currently works in politics or government."

Experience and public service

Miller described her work history in our questionnaire: "I have served as a judge for the past twenty-one years. Prior to my appointment to the bench, I was an assistant state attorney at the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office and an adjunct professor at Florida International University. I am currently a judge on the Third District Court of Appeal and an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law."

She added: "I was appointed to the Third District in 2018 and retained by the electorate of MIami-Dade and Monroe Counties in 2020. I served from 2005-2010 as a County Court judge and from 2010-2018 as a Circuit Court judge."

According to her Third District Court of Appeal biography, Governor Jeb Bush appointed Miller to Miami-Dade County Court in 2005. Governor Charlie Crist appointed her to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in 2010, and Governor Rick Scott appointed her to the Third District in 2018. She was retained in 2020 with 74.9% of the vote, according to Ballotpedia.

Asked about accomplishments that qualify her, Miller said in our questionnaire: "I have nearly thirty years of experience as an attorney and judge. I have presided over thousands of cases, handling a wide variety of cases, including probate, family, criminal, civil, dependency, delinquency, guardianship proceedings."

Judicial Qualifications Commission charges: In October 2025, the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission filed formal charges against Miller, NBC 6 South Florida reported. The commission alleged she violated judicial canons by texting Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle about the post-conviction resentencing of Corey Smith, a defendant Miller had originally prosecuted in 2004. Miller self-reported the matter. She denied violating any canon. Her lawyers filed a motion to dismiss in December 2025, arguing a First Amendment right to speak freely in private communications.

On the issues

How trial experience shapes appellate work: Miller said in our questionnaire: "My time on the trial bench has allowed me to understand firsthand the challenges faced by our trial bench, including the limited resources, high case loads, juror shortages, lack of law clerks …" She said the role also carries "the emotional and mental drain that accompanies handling tragic disputes and rendering hundreds of decisions every week."

Miller added: "We are an error-correcting court, not a factfinding court … We are not permitted to give the parties a 'redo' on the facts."

Digital evidence and AI: Miller said in our questionnaire: "Artificial Intelligence will dominate the legal landscape in the coming years. It will radically transform the way we approach legal work and challenge the traditional evidentiary principles we follow."

The retention question for Miller appears on the general election ballot.