TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 22, 2021

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, is filing a bill to remove the name of former Congressman Clifford Davis from the federal building in downtown Memphis, the Commercial Appeal reports. Cohen cites Davis' membership in the Ku Klux Klan and support for segregation laws as the reason for his effort. The Clifford Davis-Odell Horton Federal Building, located at 167 N. Main, was constructed in the 1960s and houses the federal courts, other federal agencies and Cohen’s local office. In 2007, legislation passed the Congress that added Horton's name to the building. Horton was a groundbreaking Black federal judge in Memphis who had died the previous year. Cohen said at the time he wanted to rename the building just for Horton but the political will was not there. The Davis family previously announced its support for removing the late congressman’s name from the building.