[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 9, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8217-S8218]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SPOTTSWOOD W. ROBINSON III AND ROBERT R. MERHIGE, JR., FEDERAL 
                               COURTHOUSE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Chair lay 
before the Senate the House message to accompany S. 2403.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Menendez) laid before the Senate the 
amendments of the House of Representatives to the bill (S. 2403) 
entitled ``An Act to designate the new Federal Courthouse, located in 
the 700 block of East Broad Street, Richmond, VA, as the `Spottswood W. 
Robinson III and Robert R. Merhige, Jr., Federal Courthouse'.'', do 
pass with the following amendments:

                                S. 2403

       Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 2403) entitled 
     ``An Act to designate the new Federal Courthouse, located in 
     the 700 block of East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, as 
     the `Spottswood W. Robinson III and Robert R. Merhige, Jr. 
     Federal Courthouse'.'', do pass with the following 
     amendments:
       Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The United States courthouse located in the 700 block of 
     East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, shall be known and 
     designated as the ``Spottswood W. Robinson III and Robert R. 
     Merhige, Jr., United States Courthouse''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the United States 
     courthouse referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Spottswood W. Robinson III and Robert R. 
     Merhige, Jr., United States Courthouse''.
       Amend the title so as to read: ``An Act to designate the 
     United States courthouse located in the 700 block of East 
     Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, as the `Spottswood W. 
     Robinson III and Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States 
     Courthouse'.''.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is my understanding there is no objection 
to this, and it has been cleared by the Republicans. I ask unanimous 
consent that the Senate concur in the House amendments, that the motion 
to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to 
this matter be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on S. 2403, a bill 
to name the new U.S. courthouse in Richmond, VA, after two 
distinguished jurists and sons of Virginia.
  Senator Webb and I introduced this bill last year, and the bill 
passed the Senate on June 24, 2008. The House of Representatives passed 
the bill last night, with a minor technical change, by a vote of 376 to 
0. Tonight, I would like to thank the Senate for accepting this minor 
modification and once again passing this bill.
  Our bill recognizes two of Virginia's outstanding jurists: Spotswood 
Robinson III and Robert Mehrige, Jr. They were lawyers who throughout 
their careers adhered to the principle of ``equal justice under law.''
  The first, Spottswood William Robinson III, was born in Richmond, VA, 
on July 26, 1916. He attended Virginia Union University and then the 
Howard University School of Law, graduating first in his class in 1939 
and serving as a member of the faculty until 1947.
  Judge Robinson was one of the core attorneys of the NAACP Legal 
Defense and Educational Fund from 1948 to 1960, achieving national 
prominence in the legal community with his representation of the 
Virginia plaintiffs in the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board 
of Education. Brown outlawed public school segregation declaring 
``separate but equal'' schools unconstitutional.
  In 1964, Judge Robinson became the first African American to be 
appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and 
in 1966, President Johnson appointed Judge Robinson the first African 
American to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia 
Circuit. Finally, on May 7, 1981, Judge Robinson became the first 
African American to serve as Chief Judge of the District of Columbia 
Circuit.
  Our second jurist, Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr., was born in 1919 and 
later attended High Point College in North Carolina. He subsequently 
earned his law degree from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the 
University of Richmond, from which he graduated at the top of his class 
in 1942.
  From 1942 to 1945, Judge Merhige served in the U.S. Air Force. He 
practiced law in Richmond from 1945 to 1967, establishing himself as a 
formidable trial lawyer representing criminal defendants as well as 
dozens of insurance companies.
  On August 30,1967, Judge Merhige was appointed U.S. District Court 
judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, by 
President Lyndon B. Johnson, serving as a Federal judge until 1998. In 
1972, Judge Merhige ordered the desegregation of dozens of Virginia 
school districts. He considered himself to be a ``strict 
constructionist'' who went by the law as spelled out in precedents by 
the higher courts. In 1970, he ordered the University of Virginia to 
admit women. As evidence of Judge Merhige's groundbreaking decisions, 
he was given 24-hour protection by Federal marshals due to repeated 
threats of violence against him and his family. His courage in the face 
of significant opposition of the times is a testimony to his dedication 
to the rule of law.
  As my colleagues may be aware, I have worked to name the new 
courthouse in Richmond for these two men for several years. I am proud 
that the Virginia Congressional Delegation, the Virginia Bar 
Association, the mayor of Richmond, and many others decided that the 
best way to honor both men was to have them equally share the honor of 
having the courthouse so named.
  With the ribbon cutting for this grand facility tentatively set for 
October 17 of this year, I am please by the passage of this legislation 
in honor of

[[Page S8218]]

Spottswood Robinson and Robert Merhige. Mr. President, in conclusion, I 
thank my colleagues in joining me in support of this legislation, and I 
thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of these two great 
Virginians.

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