Gravitas Ventures Brings Iconic US Constitutional Champion’s Story “The Judge – Character. Cases. Courage.” to Audiences Beginning January 26, 2021
Narrated by Justin Theroux, Documentary “The Judge – Character. Cases. Courage.” Charts the Life of Judge Robert R. Merhige Jr’s Heroic Legal Career and Will Be Released Across the North American Continent on All VOD/Digital & Blu-Ray/DVD Platforms
(Los Angeles, CA—December XX, 2020) Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, has acquired The American Documentary Film Fund’s riveting documentary “The Judge – Character. Cases. Courage.” narrated by Justin Theroux (“The Leftovers,” “The Girl on the Train”), and directed by Robert Griffith (“Voices of Hope and Recovery,” “Lillian”) and will release the film across all TVOD/Digital platforms throughout the North American continent beginning on January 26, 2021. “The Judge – Character. Cases. Courage.” is the story of Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr’s. heroic struggle to uphold the rule of law and the US Constitution. He faced down the entrenched forces of the status quo and fought for racial equality, woman’s rights, environmental protection, and justice for all.
Honor, integrity and justice for all. In history’s hallowed halls of justice U.S. District Court Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr. stands alongside Supreme Court Justice’s Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Thurgood Marshall as a champion for equal rights under the law for all citizens. “The Judge – Character. Cases. Courage.” follows a distinguished, momentous and tumultuous 31-year tenure on the Federal bench. Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr. fought against the entrenched powers of the status quo to promote racial and gender equality, protect the environment, uphold the rule of law and the US Constitution.
“The Judge – Character. Cases. Courage.” illuminates a storied career on the federal bench with a justice who honored the right of law for all Americans, even when death threats followed, Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr. chose to do what was right. Featuring interviews with U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (also the 70th Governor of Virginia and 2016 Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee), U.S. Senator Mark Warner (also the 69th Governor of Virginia), Ms. Anne Holton (Judge Merhige’s former law clerk, immediate Past President of George Mason University), Virginia’s former Secretary of Education, and former First Lady of Virginia (Mrs. Tim Kaine), The Honorable Roger L. Gregory (Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit), The Honorable J. Harvie Wilkinson III (Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit), The Honorable Judge Robert E. Payne (Senior Judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia), The Honorable Judge James R. Spencer (Retired Senior Judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia), Dean Rodney A. Smolla (Constitutional Scholar and Dean of Widener University Delaware School of Law, and author of several books on the law and First Amendment issues, including Jerry Falwell v. Larry Flynt: The First Amendment on Trial, and Deliberate Intent: A Lawyer Tells the True Story of Murder by the Book), Philip Jay Hirschkop (Former Chair of the ACLU of Virginia, who represented Mildred and Richard Loving before the Supreme Court of the United States (Loving vs. Virginia)), and Earl Andrews (Member of the first integrated (by order of Judge Merhige) class at Richmond’s John F. Kennedy H. S. in 1970), among others.
“The Judge – Character. Cases. Courage.” is a production of The American Documentary Film Fund and directed by Robert Griffith (“Voices of Hope and Recovery,” “Lillian”), executive produced by Al Calderaro (“Major Payne”), Bill Royall, Pam Royall, produced by Al Calderaro and Robert Griffith, and co-produced by Kahil Dotay.
“Judge Merhige’s absolute love for the law, great personal courage and unfailing fair mindedness saw him through some very trying times and allowed him to do, what he simply referred to as “his job.” He was a man who believed in the “Magic of America,” a character right out of one Frank Capra’s movies of the 1930’s and the 1940’s,” states Executive Producer Al Calderaro.
Named by President Lyndon B. Johnson to Federal District Court in Richmond in 1967, Judge Merhige ordered the desegregation of dozens of Virginia school districts in 1972. He was given 24-hour protection by federal marshals as threats of violence were repeatedly made to him and his family, extending as far as the shooting of his dog and the burning of a guest cottage on his property after this ruling.
Other landmark rulings from his courtroom touched on environmental regulations and consumer rights, as well as civil rights. He ordered the University of Virginia to admit women in 1970 and strengthened the right of pregnant women to keep their jobs.
Judge Merhige wrote the decision that threw out the appeals of Watergate figures, including G. Gordon Liddy, after they were convicted of breaking into the office of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist. And he presided over the trials of Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party leaders accused of killing members of the Communist Workers Party in Greensboro, N.C., in 1979.
Following his appointment to the U.S. District Court in 1967, Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr. embarked on what can be conservatively described as a distinguished, momentous and tumultuous 31-year tenure on the Federal bench. He fought against the entrenched powers of the status quo to promote racial and gender equality, protect the environment, uphold the rule of law and the US Constitution.
Most notable were the cases on mass school busing to bring about the desegregation of public schools in Richmond, VA, the former Confederate Capital. The public’s violent opposition to the Judge’s rulings mandating busing led to an incendiary backlash requiring 24/7 police protection for the Judge and his family. The Judge’s life was threatened, the lives of his family threatened, his home picketed, his guest house burned, his dog shot, he was hung in effigy, and spit on in public. Through it all the Judge persevered, did what he felt was right and fair, and worked to promote racial equality.
Kirk T. Schroder, Esquire of Schroder Brooks Law Firm, PLC negotiated on behalf of the filmmaking team directly with Brett Rogalsky on behalf of Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company.
Where to follow the film and its journey:
Website: www.tadff.org
Facebook: TheAmericanDocumentaryFilmFund
Instagram: @theamericandocumentaryfilmfund
About The American Documentary Film Fund (TADFF)
Allen J. Calderaro and Robert J. Griffith, a veteran Virginia documentary filmmaker, formed The American Documentary Film Fund (TADFF) in 2016. The American Documentary Film Fund is a non-profit educational organization. We are inspired by our belief that documentary films have the power to be a positive force for change in people’s lives and their communities. Our mission is to cultivate films about inspirational Americans and social issues that need and deserve to have their stories told. We strive to be a leading advocate for powerful American storytelling. The American Documentary Film Fund Board of Directors includes Board President: John (Jay) W. Barrows, Jr. (Art Curator, Consultant and Broker); Board Secretary: Andrew K. Clark, Esquire (Partner, Hirschler); and board members: Heidi W. Abbott (Counsel, Hunton Andrews Kurth), Al Calderaro (Executive Producer/Producer), Michael Farley (CEO, Elk Hill), Vince Gilligan (Emmy Award Winning Writer, Producer & Director “Breaking Bad,” “Better Call Saul”), Robert Griffith (Director/Producer, Griffith Films), Pam Goldstein Sauber Attorney and Board Member, DC Volunteer Lawyers Project), Joseph Seipel (Professor Emeritus and former Dean, VCU School of the Arts, (retired August 2016)), and honorary members: Mark Merhige (Principal Broker, CEO Bantry Hill Ventures), and Pam Kiecker Royall, Ph. D. To learn more go to the TADFF website www.tadff.org, Facebook page TheAmericanDocumentaryFilmFund or Instagram handle @theamericandocumentaryfilmfund
About Gravitas Ventures
Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, is a leading all rights distributor of independent feature films and documentaries. Founded in 2006, Gravitas connects independent filmmakers and producers with distribution opportunities across the globe.
Working with talented directors and producers, Gravitas Ventures has distributed thousands of films into over a hundred million homes in North America – over one billion homes worldwide. Recent releases include The Secret: Dare to Dream, directed by Andy Tennant and starring Katie Holmes; End of Sentence starring Logan Lerman and John Hawkes; Looks that Kill; Tread; Loopers: The Caddie’s Long Walk, narrated by Bill Murray; Colin Hanks’ All Things Must Pass; and the upcoming Our Friend starring Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, and Jason Segel. For more information, please visit gravitasventures.com, and follow @GravitasVOD on Twitter and @gravitasventures on Instagram.
About Red Arrow Studios
Red Arrow Studios is one of the world’s leading creators and distributors of entertainment content, comprised of an acclaimed network of international production companies and labels in seven territories; world-leading digital studio, Studio71, based in six countries; and global film and TV distributors Red Arrow Studios International and Gravitas Ventures. The group’s significant output includes scripted, non-scripted and formatted content and IP, from TV and film to short-form and branded content, made for an array of global networks and platforms. Red Arrow Studios is part of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, one of Europe’s leading media groups. redarrowstudios.com