Austin civil rights attorney David Richards dies at 92

David Richards, a prominent Austin labor and civil rights attorney whose work helped reshape political representation for minorities in Texas, died Thursday night in Austin surrounded by family, a friend confirmed. He was 92 years old.

Richards played a key role in ensuring Texas minorities had equal representation in government at all levels, said Guy Herman, a friend and Travis County probate judge who considered Richards a mentor. Herman pointed to the 1973 Supreme Court decision in White v. Regester, which held that certain multimember electoral districts in Texas unconstitutionally diluted the voting power of Black and brown people in the state.

"He realized many years ago that minorities did not get a fair shake in picking their representatives," Herman said. "The White v. Regester case led to significant changes in Texas voting districts."

Richards said in 2002 that White v. Regester was his most important victory. It "brought remarkable changes in terms of increased minority office holders all across the state," he told Texas Monthly.

Richards – the ex-husband of late Texas Gov. Ann Richards and father of prominent abortion rights activist Cecile Richards, who died earlier this year – was immersed in liberal politics. Though Texas’ political environment has become increasingly hostile to progressives, Herman said Richards still made a lasting impact.

Richards began practicing law in 1957 in Dallas. He moved to Austin in 1969, according to a biography from the University of Texas Briscoe Center for American History. In addition to his private practice, he worked for Texas Attorney General's Office, the Texas Civil Liberties Union and the AFL-CIO of Texas.

"He did a great deal for civil rights and electoral rights of people," Herman said. "He did a heck of a lot of good for Texas."

Richards was born in McClennan County and raised in Waco, where he met Ann Richards. The two married in 1953 while attending Baylor University and had four children before they divorced in 1980, a decade before his former wife ran for governor. He then married Sandra Hauser; the couple had two children.

Outside of law, Richards was an avid outdoorsman and a big fan of old country music. "In fact, his last night here on Earth, his family serenaded him with Guy Clark songs," Herman said.