Washington, DC (Aug. 11, 2026) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) presented their Judicial Recognition Award to Judge Michael J. Davis of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota at the Association’s annual meeting in St. Petersburg, FL. This award recognizes judges who demonstrate a continuing dedication to protecting democratic principles and the fundamental rights of individuals within American society.
For over forty years, Judge Davis has presided over some of the most challenging cases that come before the courts. In discharging his judicial responsibilities, he demonstrated exceptional skill, insight, and a dedication to fairness, exemplifying the values that this award is intended to honor.
Reflecting on the ways criminal defense has impacted his career, Judge Davis said: “I hated law school until I got a fellowship to the Legal Rights Center my third year in law school and that's where I met some of the best criminal defense lawyers in the state of Minnesota and the country. I fell in love with what you do. I fell in love with the Constitution and what the Warren Court and the other justices on the Supreme Court were doing, expanding the rights of criminal defendants to make sure that we have justice. You are doing the right thing to keep our democracy, our republic, on the right track. You may fail on a hearing, but I know that you're fighting and you're making sure the judge knows what the law is and what the facts are so there can be mercy involved in our laws. I hope you understand the five years that I was at the Legal Rights Center were the best years of my life.”
Judge Davis’s accomplished legal career includes service as an attorney at the Legal Rights Center, an attorney for the U.S. Social Security Administration in Baltimore, MD, a criminal defense lawyer with the Neighborhood Justice Center, Inc., and Commissioner of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission. He was a public defender with the Hennepin County Public Defender's Office from 1978-1983 before serving as a judge in the Minnesota District Court, Fourth Judicial District from 1984-1994, and as judge and the Hennepin County Municipal Court, from 1983-1984. Judge Davis joined the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in 1994 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton. Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone and his wife, Shelia, submitted his name to President Clinton. He was the first African American judge appointed to the district. He became the first African American Chief Judge for the District of Minnesota in 2008, serving in this role until he assumed senior status in 2015. He served in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from 1999-2006.
Judge Davis received his B.A from Macalester College and his J.D. from University of Minnesota Law School.
A high-resolution photo from the award ceremony is available for download here.
Contacts
Jessie Diamond, Deputy Director, Public Affairs and Communications, (202) 465-7647 or jdiamond@nacdl.org
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.
