Robert R. Merhige Jr.
Robert Reynold Merhige Jr. | |
---|---|
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia | |
In office November 30, 1986 – June 8, 1998 | |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia | |
In office August 25, 1967 – November 30, 1986 | |
Appointed by | Lyndon B. Johnson |
Preceded by | John D. Butzner Jr. |
Succeeded by | T. S. Ellis III |
Personal details | |
Born | Robert Reynold Merhige Jr. February 5, 1919 New York City, New York |
Died | February 18, 2005 Richmond, Virginia | (aged 86)
Education | University of Richmond School of Law (LL.B.) University of Virginia School of Law (LL.M.) |
Robert Reynold Merhige Jr. (February 5, 1919 – February 18, 2005) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia who was known for his rulings on desegregation in the 1970s.[1]
Education and career
Born February 5, 1919, in New York City, New York, Merhige attended High Point College in North Carolina and received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Richmond School of Law in 1942. He later received a Master of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1982. He served in the United States Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945, flying many missions in Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers during World War II.[2] He entered private practice in Richmond, Virginia from 1945 to 1967. He taught law at the Smithdeal-Massey School of Law from 1945 to 1948. He was vice president and general counsel for the Crass Coca-Cola Bottling Company from 1952 to 1955. He was a lecturer at the University of Virginia from 1968 to 1972. He was an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond School of Law from 1973 to 1976.[3]
Federal judicial service
Merhige was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 17, 1967, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia vacated by Judge John D. Butzner Jr. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 18, 1967, and received his commission on August 25, 1967. He was a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1980 to 1985. He assumed senior status on November 30, 1986. He was a member of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation from 1990 to 1998. His service terminated on June 8, 1998, due to his retirement.[3]
Notable cases
Although the first stage of
In 1970 Judge Merhige ordered the University of Virginia to admit women. He also clarified the rights of pregnant women to keep their jobs, and with United States Bankruptcy Judge Blackwell Shelley handled the complex products liability litigation and bankruptcy reorganization of the A. H. Robins Company concerning the Dalkon Shield.[8] Moreover, by 1988, some noticed that Merhige was one of the federal judges with the lowest percentage (5%) of being overruled by appellate panels.
In 1968 Merhige ruled that the conflict in
Merhige authored the ruling of the three federal judge panel that rejected the appeals of
Merhige presided over the Greensboro massacre trials of members of the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party for killing Communist Workers Party members in 1979.[9]
Retirement, death and legacy
Merhige retired from the federal bench on June 8, 1998, and joined the
One recollection has him faithfully at a dry cleaners every Friday at the opening time of 8:00 am. Though the attendant was always late, he persisted, saying that, "Unbelievable, the control this woman has over a federal judge!"
In 2008, the new federal courthouse in Richmond (to which the district and bankruptcy courts and probation office moved) was named to honor Merhige and
References
- ^ Schapiro, Jeff E. "Williams: Film shows Merhige's legacy went far beyond busing". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Sullivan, Patricia (20 February 2005). "Federal Judge Robert R. Merhige Dies". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Merhige, Robert Reynold, Jr. - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
- ^ http://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1849&context=wlulr Vol 49 p. 23 et seq.
- ^ Theodore H. White, The Making of the President 1972, New York: Atheneum Publishers, 1973, pp. 89-92.
- ^ "The Honorable Robert R. Merhige Jr.: A Colleague Remembered » University of Richmond Law Review".
- ^ "Stories of a Judge: Remembering Robert Merhige Jr" (PDF).
- ^ Labaton, Stephen (July 3, 1988). "DALKON SHIELD JUDGE: Robert R. Merhige Jr.; A Case to Cap a Controversial Career". The New York Times.
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/obituaries/22merhige.html%7Cwork=New York Times
- ^ "Robert A.M. Stern Architects - Spottswood W. Robinson III and Robert R. Merhige Jr. U.S. Courthouse".
- ^ "House Report 110-824 - SPOTTSWOOD W. ROBINSON III AND ROBERT R. MERHIGE, JR., UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE". www.gpo.gov.
- ^ "Merhige Center for Environmental Studies - School of Law - University of Richmond".
- ^ Lohman, Bill. "A Judge's Legacy". Richmond Law Magazine, 2005, p. 15.
Sources
- FJC Bio
- Ronald J. Bacigal, May it please the court: a biography of Judge Robert R. Merhige Jr. (University Press of America, 1992)
- Baliles, Gerald L. (April 2005). "Reflections: The Honorable Robert R. Merhige Jr" (PDF). Virginia Lawyer. 53 (9): 26–27.