[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 17979]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               NAMING OF U.S. COURTHOUSE IN RICHMOND, VA

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on S. 2403, a bill 
to name the new United States courthouse in Richmond, VA, for two 
distinguished jurists and sons of VA.
  Senator Webb and I introduced this bill together last year, and the 
bill passed the Senate on June 24, 2008. The House of Representatives 
is expected to pass this bill tonight, with a minor technical change. 
It is my hope that the Senate will accept this minor modification and 
pass this bill when the legislation returns to the Senate tonight or 
early tomorrow.
  Our bill will recognize 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 United States 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 can think of no better time than now to move 
this legislation in honor of Spottswood Robinson and Robert Merhige. I 
thank the committee for the consideration of this bill and look forward 
to working with my colleagues in seeking its passage.

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