Longtime federal judge in New Mexico dies at 85

Parker, a native Texan, graduated from Rice University in 1959 and earned his law degree from the University of Texas in 1962. He practiced at an Albuquerque law firm before becoming a a judge.

Parker served on a variety of national and local committees and was a proponent of the practice of alternative dispute resolution. The courtroom in which he presided was named in his honor earlier this year.

Chief U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson ordered flags outside federal courthouses in New Mexico be flown at half-staff.