Obituary of Roger-J. Miner

MINER-- Hon. Roger J. The New York Law School community mourns the passing of distinguished alumnus Hon. Roger J. Miner '56, who died at his home in Greenport, NY on February 18, 2012. Miner was a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit whose illustrious career earned him mentions as a possible nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. After graduating cum laude from New York Law School, where he was Managing Editor of the Law Review, Judge Miner was admitted to practice in New York and in the United States Court of Military Appeals. Serving on active military duty from 1956 to 1959, he was awarded the Commendation Ribbon with Medal Pendant for his work on the revision of the Manual for Courts-Martial. He later served with the Army Reserve and was discharged in 1964 with the rank of captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. In 1959, Judge Miner joined his father, Abram Miner '26, in private practice in Hudson, NY. He was later named Corporation Counsel for the City of Hudson and served as the Assistant District Attorney for Columbia County. He was the Columbia County District Attorney from 1968 to 1975. Judge Miner was elected a Supreme Court justice for New York's Third Judicial District in 1976. President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York in 1981 and to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1985. He assumed senior status in the Second Circuit in 1997. Judge Miner taught at New York Law School and Albany Law School. He was a former trustee of New York Law School, which awarded him an honorary degree in 1989. In 2003, the Law School honored Judge Miner at a gala event that included the unveiling of a portrait of him and the Law School's acceptance of the donation of his papers. The Law School community will remember Judge Miner for his courage, wisdom, and dedicated service to the law. We extend our condolences to his wife, Jacqueline, and his sons, brother, and grandchildren. Arthur N. Abbey, Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Carol A. Buckler, Interim Dean