Law Commons^™

In Memoriam: Robert R. Merhige, Jr., Ronald J. Bacigal

Law Faculty Publications

It is difficult to write about Judge Merhige in an academic journal. His greatness lay not in formulating abstract legal doctrine, but in applying the law to real life situations. When I began researching his biography in 1986, the most pleasant part of the process was personal interviews with the Judge spanning two and a half years and filling some fifty audio tapes. Unfortunately, I was never able to capture his humanity in print and may have done him a disservice by writing his biography the way a law professor does-focusing on the intellectual aspects of his famous cases, rather …

Visionary Thinker And Wordsmith Par Excellence, David E. Wilkins

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

I was part of a small cohort of Native students, thrilled at the possibility of studying with a man we affectionately, and with some trepidation, referred to as "the Godfather" of Indian politics, policy and law. We called ourselves "Vine's Disciples," not because he was a religious figure, but because we sensed that in having the privilege and opportunity studying with the individual we all considered the most gifted of our time, that we would receive profound lessons in what was required of us as we sought to become active and informed defenders of indigenous nationhood.

What an influence he …