Roger J. Miner, senior judge of the federal appeals court, died Sat., Feb. 18, at his Greenport home. He was 77 years old. Miner graduated from New York Law School and in 1959, joined his father, Abram Miner, in private practice in Hudson. He was attorney for the city of Hudson from 1961 to 1964, and served as Columbia County District Attorney from 1968 to 1975. Miner was appointed to the federal district court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, and elevated to the appeals court in 1985. In 1987, Miner was one of the top candidates considered for appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Miner's wife, Jacqueline told the Associated Press, her husband was not chosen for the Supreme Court after he disclosed to the administration he supported a woman's right to have an abortion. According to Mrs. Miner, her husband later said he chose to answer the question directly because "his reputation was too big a price to pay for a seat on the Supreme Court." Tom Casey reports in the Register Star, Hudson Mayor Bill Hallenbeck ordered all flags in the city be flown at half-staff in the judge's honor. Read Miner's full obituary online.