Although the first stage of Massive Resistance to desegregation of Virginia 's schools was over ( which even included United States District Judge C. Sterling Hutcheson retiring from the bench rather than enforce Brown v. Board of Education ) , segregation remained . Early in his long judicial career , Merhige ordered dozens of Virginia 's public school systems to desegregate , and for a time was considered the most hated man in Richmond — under 24-hour protection by the United States Marshals Service and with weekly protests at his home , his mother-in-law 's cottage on his property was burned to the ground , and his dog tied up and shot dead . Black families moved into white urban neighborhoods in Richmond throughout the 1950s , 1960s , and by the 1970s white flight to suburbs in neighboring counties had left the Richmond city schools predominately black . In January 1972 , Merhige ruled that students in Henrico and Chesterfield counties in Virginia would have to be bused to the Richmond city schools in order to decrease the high percentage of black students in Richmond 's schools . Critics focused on Judge Merhige personally , including noting that his own children were enrolled in private school and thus unaffected by his order . One of Merhige 's orders in that case was overturned by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on June 6 , 1972 , barring most busing schemes that made students cross county/city boundaries , but not before influencing that year 's presidential primary in Miami Beach , Florida . ( Note : Since 1871 , Virginia has had independent cities which are not politically located within counties , although some are completely surrounded geographically by a single county . This distinctive and unusual arrangement was pivotal in the Court of Appeals decision overturning Merhige 's ruling ) . Merhige 's courage and strength of character , as well as his preparation , courtesy , dedication to the rule of law and respect for the litigants before him ultimately turned that hatred into deep respect
presidential primary
1972 Democratic National Convention
Robert R. Merhige Jr.