Ronald Davies (judge)
Encyclopedia
Ronald Norwood Davies was a federal judge
for the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota
(July 22, 1955 - 1996). Davies is perhaps best known for ordering the integration of Little Rock Central High during the civil rights crisis of the 1960s.
. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Liberal Arts at the University of North Dakota
in 1927 and a law degree from Georgetown University Law School
in 1930.
He practiced law in Grand Forks, North Dakota
for several years, before becoming a judge at the Municipal Court of Grand Forks (1932-1940). In 1940, Davies and fellow Grand Forks lawyer Charles F. Peterson formed a private law practice. During World War II, Davies served as a Lt. Colonel in the United States Army. After the war, Davies went back to his private practice. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower nominated Davies as U.S. District Court Judge of North Dakota
. He was confirmed by the Senate in July and assumed his position as Federal Judge on August 16th, 1955.
, the Governor of Arkansas
, in 1957, during the Little Rock Nine
crisis. Judge Davies had been temporarily assigned to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
in Little Rock
, the state capital of Arkansas, by President Dwight Eisenhower
on August 22, 1957.
The U.S. Supreme Court
issued its Brown v. Topeka Board of Education decision (347 U.S. 483) in on May 17, 1954. The decision called for the desegregation
of all schools in the nation with "all deliberate speed". The Little Rock School Board
unanimously decided to comply with the high court's ruling and agreed to a gradual desegregation plan, which would be implemented in the 1958 school year.
By 1957, the NAACP had registered nine black students to attend the previously all-white Little Rock Central High. Meanwhile, the "Mother's League", a segregationist parents group, requested an injunction against the Little Rock School Board. The injunction would prevent the nine students from attending the school. Segregationist parents also threatened to protest in front of the high school and physically block any black students from entering the school. The Chancellor of Pulaski County, Murray Reed, granted the injunction on August 27, 1956, "on the grounds that integration could lead to violence." Judge Davies nullified the injunction on August 30 and ordered the School Board to proceed with integration on September 3.
Despite the federal court's ruling, Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard
to the school under the pretense of maintaining civil order. The nine black students attempted to enter Central High on September 4, 1957, but were turned away by the guardsmen. The deployment of the guardsmen brought international attention to Little Rock. President Eisenhower called Governor Faubus to his vacation home in Newport, Rhode Island
on September 14, 1957 and warned him not to interfere with the Supreme Court's ruling.
Attorneys from the U.S. Justice Department
requested an injunction against the Governor's deployment of the National Guard, which Judge Davies granted on September 20, 1957. Davies ruled that Faubus had used the troops to prevent integration, not to preserve law and order as he had claimed. Davies ordered the Governor to remove the guardsmen. The Governor backed down and withdrew the guardsmen during the weekend. Afterwards the Little Rock Police Department attempted to sneak the nine students into the school on Monday, September 23, 1957. However, the nine were escorted out when angry parents of white students inside begin confronting the outnumbered police.
The next day, the mayor of Little Rock, Woodrow Mann, requested federal troops to enforce integration at Central High. President Eisenhower deployed the 101st Airborne Division
to the school to escort the nine students and the division remained there for the remainder of the school year. The Mother's League petitioned Judge Davies to force the removal of the federal troops on October 17, 1957, but he dismissed the petition.
for thirty years. Davies died on April 18, 1996 in Fargo.
He was a recipient of the state of North Dakota
's Roughrider Award
, the highest honor awarded by the state. The Ronald N. Davies Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?P=PMHP&contentId=19425&contentType=GSA_BASIC in Grand Forks, North Dakota
is named in his memory and, in 2010, Fargo, North Dakota
established the Judge Ronald N. Davies High School, also named in his memory.
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
for the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota
United States District Court for the District of North Dakota
The United States District Court for the District of North Dakota is the United States District Court or the Federal district court, whose jurisdiction is the state of North Dakota. The court is headquartered out of Fargo and has additional locations at Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot...
(July 22, 1955 - 1996). Davies is perhaps best known for ordering the integration of Little Rock Central High during the civil rights crisis of the 1960s.
Early life
Ronald Norwood Davies was born on December 11, 1904, in Crookston, MinnesotaCrookston, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...
. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Liberal Arts at the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
in 1927 and a law degree from Georgetown University Law School
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
in 1930.
He practiced law in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
for several years, before becoming a judge at the Municipal Court of Grand Forks (1932-1940). In 1940, Davies and fellow Grand Forks lawyer Charles F. Peterson formed a private law practice. During World War II, Davies served as a Lt. Colonel in the United States Army. After the war, Davies went back to his private practice. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower nominated Davies as U.S. District Court Judge of North Dakota
United States District Court for the District of North Dakota
The United States District Court for the District of North Dakota is the United States District Court or the Federal district court, whose jurisdiction is the state of North Dakota. The court is headquartered out of Fargo and has additional locations at Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot...
. He was confirmed by the Senate in July and assumed his position as Federal Judge on August 16th, 1955.
Little Rock
Davies is perhaps best known for challenging Orval FaubusOrval Faubus
Orval Eugene Faubus was the 36th Governor of Arkansas, serving from 1955 to 1967. He is best known for his 1957 stand against the desegregation of Little Rock public schools during the Little Rock Crisis, in which he defied a unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court by ordering the...
, the Governor of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, in 1957, during the Little Rock Nine
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine was a group of African-American students who were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The ensuing Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, and then...
crisis. Judge Davies had been temporarily assigned to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas is the United States District Court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Arkansas, Chicot, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Craighead, Conway, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Dehsa, Drew, Faulkner, Fulton, Grant,...
in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, the state capital of Arkansas, by President Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
on August 22, 1957.
The U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
issued its Brown v. Topeka Board of Education decision (347 U.S. 483) in on May 17, 1954. The decision called for the desegregation
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
of all schools in the nation with "all deliberate speed". The Little Rock School Board
Little Rock School District
The Little Rock School District is a school district in Little Rock, Arkansas. As of the 2009-2010 school year, the district includes 50 schools, and had an enrollment of approximately 25,000 students...
unanimously decided to comply with the high court's ruling and agreed to a gradual desegregation plan, which would be implemented in the 1958 school year.
By 1957, the NAACP had registered nine black students to attend the previously all-white Little Rock Central High. Meanwhile, the "Mother's League", a segregationist parents group, requested an injunction against the Little Rock School Board. The injunction would prevent the nine students from attending the school. Segregationist parents also threatened to protest in front of the high school and physically block any black students from entering the school. The Chancellor of Pulaski County, Murray Reed, granted the injunction on August 27, 1956, "on the grounds that integration could lead to violence." Judge Davies nullified the injunction on August 30 and ordered the School Board to proceed with integration on September 3.
Despite the federal court's ruling, Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
to the school under the pretense of maintaining civil order. The nine black students attempted to enter Central High on September 4, 1957, but were turned away by the guardsmen. The deployment of the guardsmen brought international attention to Little Rock. President Eisenhower called Governor Faubus to his vacation home in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
on September 14, 1957 and warned him not to interfere with the Supreme Court's ruling.
Attorneys from the U.S. Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
requested an injunction against the Governor's deployment of the National Guard, which Judge Davies granted on September 20, 1957. Davies ruled that Faubus had used the troops to prevent integration, not to preserve law and order as he had claimed. Davies ordered the Governor to remove the guardsmen. The Governor backed down and withdrew the guardsmen during the weekend. Afterwards the Little Rock Police Department attempted to sneak the nine students into the school on Monday, September 23, 1957. However, the nine were escorted out when angry parents of white students inside begin confronting the outnumbered police.
The next day, the mayor of Little Rock, Woodrow Mann, requested federal troops to enforce integration at Central High. President Eisenhower deployed the 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
to the school to escort the nine students and the division remained there for the remainder of the school year. The Mother's League petitioned Judge Davies to force the removal of the federal troops on October 17, 1957, but he dismissed the petition.
Legacy
Judge Davies sat on the federal district court in Fargo, North DakotaFargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
for thirty years. Davies died on April 18, 1996 in Fargo.
He was a recipient of the state of North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
's Roughrider Award
Roughrider Award
The Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award is an award presented by the governor of the state of North Dakota. It is bestowed upon prominent North Dakotans.-Recipients:Note: date in parentheses indicates date of award...
, the highest honor awarded by the state. The Ronald N. Davies Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?P=PMHP&contentId=19425&contentType=GSA_BASIC in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
is named in his memory and, in 2010, Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
established the Judge Ronald N. Davies High School, also named in his memory.
External links
- Judge Ronald Davies papers at The University of North Dakota
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: Ronald Norwood Davies