United States District Court Judge, he is mostly known for his rulings on desegregation. After receiving his law degree, he served in the Army Air Forces in World War II. In 1967 he was appointed as a Federal Judge by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Judge Merhige ordered dozens of school systems to desegregate. His rulings were so unpopular that for a time he required around the clock protection. He also ruled that the Vietnam conflict was a war whether it had been declared or not. He wrote the decision to throw out the appeals of three Watergate figures after they were convicted of breaking into an office. He ordered the University of Virginia to admit women. He upheld the rights of pregnant women to keep their jobs. He presided over the trials of Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party members accused of killing members of the Communist Workers Party. He was a Federal Judge for 31 years and had many cases of national importance including pollution trials against chemical companies and bankruptcy reorganization plans for the medical company in the Dalkon Shield case. Judge Merhige retired in 1998 and joined a private law firm. (bio by: George Seitz)