Noble Jurist Takes His Leave

L. Clifford Davis was 100!

By Joseph Green-Bishop
Arise Rejoice News Service

One of the most historically significant individuals in the legal and social histories of Texas, Judge L. Clifford Davis, has taken his final leave! 

Judge Davis, who passed on Saturday morning, was 100 years of age.

A 1949 graduate of the Howard University Law School, Judge Davis became a member of the Texas Bar in 1952.

Born in Arkansas, he studied law in Washington because law schools in Arkansas and Texas, would not admit him because of the color of his skin.

Among his most significant legal achievements was his role assisting former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in the monumental Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954.

The legal briefs written by Justice Marshall and Judge Davis led to a ruling by the Supreme Court that declared “separate but equal” academic institutions and educational systems in violation of the American Constitution.

“Judge Davis exemplified the highest standards in the legal profession,” said Ms. Bobbie Edmonds, a North Texas lawyer who considered the judge a personal mentor.

“He was an extremely kind individual who devoted his entire life to the service of others no matter their ethnicity, their faith, their gender, their political beliefs or the languages they spoke.”

The authored of his 2023 biography, “I Want To Be Like Him,” she added. “The legal community and the people of North Texas will miss Judge Davis immensely.”

Judge Davis successfully filed lawsuits that resulted in the integration of public school systems in Mansfield and in Fort Worth. 

Ms. Edmonds referred to the judge as “a courageous legal giant, a scholar, a moralist, and a great humanitarian.”  

In 1983 Judge Davis was appointed by Texas Governor Mark White to the Tarrant County District Criminal Court, becoming the second African American jurist in Tarrant County.

At the suggestion of Judge Davis and under his leadership the County implemented its first ‘Drug Diversion Court,’ which allowed people with substance abuse problems to receive treatment rather than languish in jails or prisons.

“Judge Davis was a true hero who improved the lives of all people,” said U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey.

That sentiment was echoed by the Fort Worth Independent School District which named an elementary school in honor of the judge. In 2024, he was named a “Texas Living Legend” by the State Bar Association.

“ Judge Davis has been a vital member of the community,” said Mrs. Opal Lee, the Grandmother of Juneteenth, who knew the judge for more than a half-century.

“He has courageously been a leader and an invaluable agent of change in Texas and in our country,” said the woman, who led the effort to make Juneteenth a national holiday.

“Judge Davis was an extraordinary human being whose legal skills and personal dignity were unmatched,” said Gary Bledsoe, an Austin, Texas-based attorney, who is the president of the Texas State NAACP.  “He was a legendary Civil Rights leader and judge whose hard work has helped to greatly improve our society.” 

A private service will be held for the Hon. Judge L. Clifford Davis on Tuesday, February 25, 2025. His body will lie in state on Monday, February 24, 2025 at St. Andrews United Methodist Church, 552 Missouri St. in Fort Worth, TX., 10 a.m.-7 p.m., with family time 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.