Robert Merhige, 86; U.S. Judge Issued School Desegregation Orders
Robert R. Merhige Jr., 86, a federal judge whose desegregation orders made him a target for violence, died Friday at a Richmond, Va., hospital of complications from open heart surgery.
Named to the federal bench in 1967 by President Johnson, Merhige ordered dozens of Virginia’s school districts to desegregate. In 1972, after he ordered public schools in Richmond and adjacent counties to consolidate in order to facilitate integration, Merhige’s dog was shot to death and a guest cottage on his property was burned down.
His ruling was later reversed, and the consolidation effort ended.
Merhige issued another controversial ruling in 1968 in the case of 96 Army reservists trying to avoid service in Vietnam. He ruled that the conflict in Vietnam was a war, whether or not it had been declared a war, and denied their request.
The New York City native attended High Point College in North Carolina and earned a law degree at the University of Richmond. He served in the Army Air Forces during World War II.
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