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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a civil rights hero and an |
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admired jurist with the passing of the Honorable L. Clifford Davis |
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of Arlington on February 15, 2025, at the age of 100; and |
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WHEREAS, Born to Augustus and Dora Davis on October 12, 1924, |
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Clifford Davis grew up on the family farm in Wilton, Arkansas; he |
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graduated from Philander Smith College and then sought to enroll in |
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the University of Arkansas Law School, which finally offered |
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admission under separate, decidedly unequal conditions; he chose to |
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complete his degree at Howard University, but his struggle opened |
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the door for other Black students at the University of Arkansas; |
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beginning his career in Arkansas, he focused on civil rights |
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litigation; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1954, Judge Davis relocated to Fort Worth and |
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founded one of the state's first Black-owned law firms; he assisted |
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future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall on a matter that |
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would become the landmark Brown v. Board of Education; continuing |
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to battle segregation, he filed successful federal suits against |
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the Mansfield and Fort Worth school districts; in his work as |
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general counsel for the NAACP, he worked tirelessly to end |
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discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations, |
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both through the courts and by reaching agreements with business |
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owners; in 1983, he was appointed as a criminal district court |
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judge, and the following year, he became the first Black judge |
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elected in Tarrant County; he established Tarrant County's first |
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drug diversion court during his tenure; after retiring as a senior |
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district judge in 2004, he became of counsel to the Fort Worth firm |
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of Johnson, Vaughn & Heiskell; he primarily handled pro bono cases, |
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continuing his years-long tradition of giving generously of his |
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time and expertise to Legal Aid of North Texas and the NAACP Justice |
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Project; a mentor to many, he funded scholarships and paid tuition |
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bills for young law students, and he visited children at the Fort |
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Worth elementary school named in his honor; a member of the National |
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Bar Association Hall of Fame, he also received an honorary degree |
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from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2017; and |
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WHEREAS, Judge Davis shared a fulfilling marriage with his |
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wife, Ethel R. Davis, that spanned nearly six decades until her |
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passing in 2015, and they were the proud parents of two daughters, |
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Avis and Karen; and |
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WHEREAS, Resolute in his commitment to justice for all, |
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Clifford Davis dismantled barriers to liberty, equality, and |
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advancement, and his legacy will continue to resonate powerfully in |
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the years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable |
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L. Clifford Davis and extend sincere condolences to his daughters, |
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Avis and Karen Davis, to his other relatives and many friends, and |
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to all who mourn his passing; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Clifford |
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Davis. |