Courtroom Dedicated to Retired Judge Merrick

Several hundred well-wishers gathered at Pepperdine University Friday for a ceremony dedicating a courtroom in honor of retired Judge John J. Merrick, who presided in Malibu Municipal Court for 22 years.

A plaque and a portrait of Merrick were unveiled at the ceremony, said Jeff Bliss, director of public information for Pepperdine, where Merrick was a guest lecturer for 20 years.

Merrick, 77, has lived in Malibu since 1947, and raised eight children there with his late wife, Marge.

Merrick began his tenure in Malibu in 1973 and was for many years the sole judge in Malibu.

When he retired in 1986, county supervisors agreed that a courtroom should be named for him. But it wasn’t until recently that court officials revived the effort, Bliss said.