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His eyes were set on being a railroad engineer – a job not available for African Americans in the Depression era. He ultimately became a great social engineer for justice. Judge L. Clifford Davis is a legendary civil rights lawyer who worked with the Late United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Famed Civil Rights Attorney W. Harold Flowers. 

 

He was born in Wilton, Arkansas on October 12, 1924. His parents, Augustus and Dora Duckett Davis raised seven children with Davis being the youngest, on a farm amid the Great Depression and Jim Crow segregation.  He was often stoned and ridiculed by white children as he walked to school. He wanted to fight, but he developed tolerance and persistence to sustain in difficult situations. Later in life, he was hung in effigy during his civil rights battles.

 

As a young man, he was inspired by civil rights attorney Scipio Jones, who led the successful appeals of twelve Black sharecroppers who were sentenced to death for participating in a race riot in the rural town of Elaine, Arkansas in 1919.  Jones also drove a big Cadillac and lived in a two-story house.  Davis desired that lifestyle. He opined, “You determine the lifestyle- You desire to live.” 

 

Judge Davis’ parents realized that the education system in Little River County was inferior to Little Rock, so they acted to allow their children to get a better education in that City. They rented a house and Davis and his older siblings attended and graduated from Dunbar High School in Little Rock.  

 

After graduating from high school, Davis attended Philander Smith College where he graduated in Business Administration by age 20. With a desire to become a lawyer, in 1945, he began his legal career at Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C. In the spring of 1946, he learned about Heman Marion Sweatt, a Black man who applied for admission to the University of Texas School of Law, but was denied admission due to race, even though he possessed the essential qualifications. This later became a landmark decision in Sweatt v. Painter, 399 U.S. 629 (1950) in which the Supreme Court decided that the educational opportunities offered to White and Black law students by the State of Texas were not substantially equal, and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment required that Sweatt be admitted to the University of Texas Law School. 

 

The Fall of 1946, Davis applied for admission to the University of Arkansas, but was initially barred admission due to his race and their segregationist policies. Due to financial reasons, he did not return to Howard, he took time off to attend Atlanta University to pursue a Master’s in Economics, pending acceptance to his home state law school. In the Fall of 1947, he returned to Howard Law School. Shortly thereafter, he received notification from the Dean of University of Arkansas School of Law, that if he showed up, applied and prepaid the entire tuition, he would be accepted with the further condition that he would study but not enter a room where White students existed, including classrooms, student hall, library and bathrooms. Davis and his lawyer responded to the Dean and rejected the segregated offer.  However, Attorney A. Scipio Jones assisted a student, Silas Hunt, to enroll in January 1949. He was accepted. They also accepted the first black to medical school. Davis’ actions were instrumental in getting Arkansas to integrate its professional schools without litigation.  

 

He continued his studies at Howard and graduated on June 3, 1949.  Davis took the Arkansas Bar exam June 1949, passed and was sworn in to practice law on July 4, 1949. With his heart on civil rights, the legendary Attorney W. Harold Flowers of Pine Bluff extended him employment. During that era, the case of Brown v. Board of Education was pending before the United States District Court in Kansas, and several other integration lawsuits were pending in Southern states. Judge Davis recalls Attorney Flowers being a mentor (taskmaster) who provided him with significant opportunities. He gave him the task to draft desegregation lawsuits to desegregate public schools in Arkansas.  There were less than 15 Black lawyers across the Southern states that handled discrimination litigation during that era. 

 

He remembers handling a death penalty case before the Arkansas Supreme Court involving a Black man convicted of raping a White woman. On appeal, the Court reversed and held that the defendant was entitled to a continuance on the grounds of insufficient time to prepare a defense. Maxwell v. State, 225 S.W. 2d 687 (Ark. 1950). The defendant was retried and convicted. Judge Davis worked on the second appeal and the Arkansas Supreme Court reversed the conviction and ordered a new trial claiming the defendant’s motion to quash the original jury panel, consisting of no Black jurors should have been granted.  Maxwell v. State, 232 S.W. 2d 982 (Ark. 1950).  After these victories, his legal career was emerging as a noted Arkansas criminal defense lawyer. 

 

He moved on to Camden, Arkansas and opened his law practice. Shepperson Wilburn, a law school classmate in Helena joined his firm. They began to file civil rights lawsuits to desegregate school districts throughout Arkansas. Wilburn settled one of his lawsuits against Helena School District when they built a new school. Judge Davis waited for the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 43 (1954) and successfully used it to desegregate the public schools in Bearden, Arkansas. 

 

In 1952, he moved to Waco, Texas so he could meet the requirement to be admitted to the Texas Bar. He worked at Paul Quinn College, took the Texas Bar, passed and was sworn in on July 4, 1954.  He moved to Fort Worth and opened the first Black law firm in Tarrant County. Unfortunately, he received a military draft notice which delayed his dream. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army January 1955. He returned to Fort Worth and re-opened his law office in the Fraternal Bank and Trust on Ninth Street. 

 

Davis continued his civil rights work along with a general practice of civil, criminal, probate and real estate. He met the love of his life, Ethel Raye, and within six months, they were married in 1955, and remained so until her death after 59 years and 7 months; producing two daughters.  Initially, they lived in Como neighborhood of Fort Worth until 1957, and then moved to the thriving Carver Heights Addition in east Fort Worth.     

 

Davis successfully handled civil rights cases to open many public facilities to Blacks. He was not satisfied with the “all deliberate speed” doctrine of the 1954 Brown decision. So, Thurgood Marshall and Davis joined forces to file a lawsuit to desegregate Mansfield Independent School District on October 7, 1955, Nathaniel Jackson, et. al v. O.C. Rawdon et.al., which forced them to integrate. It was met with great resistance and violence- prompting the Governor of the State of Texas to call the Texas Rangers to protect three Black students who were forced to face a mob of angry White protestors.  Davis was hung in effigy.  He received many threats of bodily harm during the litigations.  March 1, 1962, Davis and Attorney W.L. Durham filed the lawsuit to desegregate Fort Worth Independent School District in Arlene Flax et. al. v. W. S. Potts et.al., 204 F. Supp. 458 Dist. Court ND Texas. That litigation continued over 20 years. Being on a roll for justice, he filed another lawsuit in 1960 to elect school board trustees by districts within Fort Worth Independent School District.  He also filed to integrate the faculties within the school district, to open wider employment opportunities for Blacks at General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin. 

 

Despite his successes in the courts, he was not allowed to join the Tarrant County Bar Association because of his skin color. There was no help from the white lawyers, so Davis looked to Dallas Black lawyers like, L.A. Bedford, and W. B Durham. As a few younger Black lawyers migrated to Tarrant County, Davis and John White, a young lawyer, and 13 other Black lawyers organized the Fort Worth Black Bar in 1977.

 

In 1983, Governor Bill Clements appointed Attorney Louis Sturns as Judge of Criminal District Court No. 2 - making him the first Black district judge in Tarrant County. However, Governor Clements lost the election. Governor Mark White won and appointed Attorney L. Clifford Davis as judge of the same district court. He was confirmed by the Texas Senate. In 1984 he ran and won the contested election- becoming the first Black judge elected in Tarrant County against his white opponent, Attorney Pete Gilfeather. Retired Judge Louis Sturns, 213th District Court said, “To say that L. Clifford Davis is an iconic figure is an understatement. Judge Davis was a transformative figure in the city of Fort Worth and throughout North Texas, not only because of his legal skills, but also because of his Civic involvement.  A number of attorneys in this area benefited from his wisdom and guidance.” 

 

While presiding as district judge, Davis accepted the task of creating the first Drug Diversion Court. The DDC gave first- time low level drug offenders a second chance. He presided over Tarrant County’s Drug Diversion Court from 1996 – 2002. Judge Davis’ reign ended in 1988 when Attorney Sharen Wilson won the seat.  Judge Davis continued to serve as visiting judge in twelve different counties throughout Texas from 1989 to 2004, when the state changed its rules on visiting judges.  Judge Brent Carr of Tarrant County Criminal Court No. 9 had this to say of the scholar, “Judge Davis presided over the first DIRECT Court which opened the door for other diversion programs that have helped thousands. Tarrant County has over 10 diversion courts now.” 

 

He joined the law firm of Johnson, Vaughn & Heiskell as “Of Counsel” after serving as judge for over 20 years. Attorney Mike Heiskell eloquently stated, “The very first time I met Judge Davis he exuded the class and confidence of a true professional. His polite mannerism and ability to grasp and communicate complex issues impressed me immensely. He became my mentor for these reasons and my hero for his courageous actions in seeking perfection of our civil rights.” 

 

Judge Davis strongly believes that “Education is the pathway to a world of opportunities.” He has paid the college tuition of several over the years.  In 2002, the L. Clifford Davis Elementary School was named in his honor by the Fort Worth Independent School Board. He worked to establish the Tarrant County Junior College now known as Tarrant County College. Over the years he was a trusted mentor to countless lawyers and judges throughout the state of Texas.  Attorney Edmonds said, “He is a man of wisdom, knowledge, courage, and an inspiration for us all.”

 

He never stops moving and being active with the Black Bar, which was named in his honor in 2014 - L. Clifford Davis Legal Association. At the golden age of 96, he visits the office daily, mentors lawyers and judges of all ethnicities, attends community events and engages in speaking engagements. Judge Davis was recently asked, “When are you going to slow down?” He replied with a smile, “This little old man will keep moving until he can’t move no more. I will accept the recognitions when given.” 

 

He stays connected and involved in the community, providing pro bono services- setting a good example for all to follow. Tarrant County Probate Judge Steve King said, “Judge Davis is an excellent example of Texas Lawyer’s Creed and the standard for all lawyers. He is firm and maintains a calm demeanor while projecting a strong message on his position.”

 

Davis has been awarded numerous awards including the Blackstone Award (the highest award bestowed by the Tarrant County Bar Association), the Silver Gavel Award, The NAACP William Robert Ming Advocacy Award, the Tarrant County Bar Foundation’s Lifetime Community Service Award, Tarrant County Commissioner’s Special Recognition- County Commissioner for  Day, the Distinguished Lawyer Achievement Award by the Texas Lawyer Magazine, the Multicultural Alliance Award and has been inducted into the National Bar Association Hall of Fame. He has been recognized as a living legend by The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, Marion Brooks Living Legends by the Cowboys of Color and numerous other organizations.

 

His name is engraved in the cornerstone of the Tarrant County Jail, and the cornerstone of the Morningside United Methodist Church as one of its organizers. Davis has held membership with Saint Andrews United Methodist Church since 1955. He has been inducted into Arkansas Hall of Fame and has maintained a life membership of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity for over 70 years. He continues to be actively involved in his fraternity, school, Tarrant County communities, and continues to receive accolades for his legendary work.  In May 2017, some 71 years after his request for admission to the University of Arkansas Law School, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law Degree. The law school held a red-carpet ceremony in his honor. September 2017, he was highlighted in an article, “Legal Legend” in the Texas Bar Journal written by Attorney Bobbie Edmonds. The last quarter of 2019, he celebrated his 95th birthday, received the Tarrant County Bar Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Tarrant County Commissioners Court Recognition “Commissioner for A Day”, and The City of Fort Worth’s “Mayor for A Day.” 

When asked about slowing down, Davis replied, “I will run out instead of rusting out.”

By Bobbie Edmonds

 

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Arielle M. Williams is from Tyler, Texas.  She graduated from the University of Texas at Tyler in 2017 obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. She is also a 2021 graduate of THE Texas A&M University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate Degree with a concentration in Workplace Law. While matriculating at Texas A&M, Arielle was involved with the National Lawyers Guild, the Women of Color Collective, and the Diversity Council, and she served as a Student Ambassador in the Admissions Office. She is also a member of the National Order of Barristers. She also served as the Citation Editor for the Journal of Property Law and was a two-time national qualifier for the Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition. Arielle’s greatest honor while in law school was serving as the President of the Black Law Students Association and as the Chair and Founder of the
U.N.I.T.Y. Council. After graduation, Arielle worked in the Office of Admissions at Texas A&M School of Law as a Seasonal Legal Recruiter.

Arielle is now an Associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP in Dallas Texas and her practice includes counseling clients in complex litigation issues regarding Mass Tort, Toxic Tort, and Product Liability. She represents Premises Owners in Toxic Tort Litigation, including claims of exposure to asbestos.

Arielle is the President Elect and Banquet Chair for the L. Clifford Davis Legal Association.

arielle.m.williams97@gmail.com