In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Because of residential segregation and resistance to Brown, Richmond-area schools were still largely segregated in 1970. The Richmond School Board and black plaintiffs sued for a merger with the school systems of predominantly white Henrico and Chesterfield Counties. Federal judge Robert Merhige Jr. ordered this consolidation in Jan. 1972, prompting a campaign of opposition from many county residents. Merhige's ruling was overturned on appeal. A 4-4 decision in the Supreme Court in May 1973 affirmed the appeals court and ended plans for the regional merger.