A new documentary highlights the life and legacy of federal judge Robert Merhige by Harry Kollatz Jr. May 20, 2018 Photo from the Richmond Times-Dispatch Collection courtesy The Valentine   “I don’t know what you want to write about me for,” […]

When the name of Robert Merhige came up in casual conversation a few years back, Al Calderaro, a Richmond real estate appraiser and history aficionado, was surprised that a friend knew so little about the federal judge who’d ruled on numerous marquee cases during the 1970s and ‘80s while serving on the U. S. Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

At one time, Merhige was arguably “the most influential judge in the United States,” as is noted in the teaser for the film that Calderaro and Griffith are close to completing. Catch phrases from the cases he handled are familiar to most lawyers, and most anyone else paying attention: Richmond school desegregation, women admitted to the University of Virginia, Kepone, Dalkon Shield, Greensboro massacre, Wounded Knee, Watergate.