Probate and Juvenile Court Staff

Honorable Judge Jan A. Miner

Judge Miner was raised in Bay County and graduated from Bay City Central High School in 1984. In 1988, she graduated cum laude from Michigan Technological University with a Bachelor of Science in Scientific and Technical Communication.

She graduated from Western Michigan University’s Thomas M. Cooley Law School and was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1995. Judge Miner is also licensed to practice in the Federal Court, Eastern District and before the United States Supreme Court. For 13 years she worked as a partner in the family law firm of Miner and Miner PLLC with her father before shifting to the Bay County Public Defender’s office in 2008. There she specialized in juvenile justice, child welfare and family law.

Judge Miner was elected to the bench in November 2016 and re-elected in 2018. She is the presiding Probate Judge and is assigned to the 18th Judicial Circuit Court – Family Division – Juvenile Section.

Her professional memberships include State Bar of Michigan Elected, 18th Judicial Circuit Representative Assembly Member from 2010 through 2016, Member of the Bay County Bar Association, Michigan Probate Judges Association (MPJA), Women Lawyers Association of Michigan (WLAM), Michigan Tech Presidential Council of Alumnae and a Certificate holder in Family Law since 2008. Judge Miner was also a member of the Editorial Advisory committee for the Adoption Proceedings Benchbook – Third Edition.

Judge Miner believes strongly in community service. Her community service includes 20+ years with the Disability Services Resource Center, Sadie Toeppner Garden Study Club, the Bay City Lions Club, AAUW and the Wildlife Support Team member. Judge Miner is also a frequent presenter for PRIDE which stands for Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education, a program used to prepare and educate families interested in foster care or becoming adoptive homes for children in the foster care system.