"Famous Texas Legislation" with Dave Richards
"What I remember is Eddie coming by one time and asking Ann (Governor Ann Richards) and I to go with him to see this old armory he'd found. He was thinking of making it into a music venue. And we went down to this dusty old place and uh, I suppose we were encouraging." (Dave Richards on the Armadillo World Headquarters)
David Read Richards (June 10, 1933 – November 13, 2025), interview recorded in 2021.
This episode of Austin Roots features an extensive conversation with attorney Dave Richards, a pivotal figure in Texas civil liberties, voting rights, and labor law from the 1960s through the 1990s. Richards shares stories spanning from his early labor law practice in Dallas through landmark Supreme Court cases, his involvement in Austin's countercultural movements, and the evolution of Texas politics. The conversation covers his role in the May 1970 anti-war march, defending underground newspapers like the Rag and Dallas Notes, dismantling loyalty oaths at UT, and the groundbreaking White v. Regester case that revolutionized minority representation in Texas. Interwoven throughout are colorful anecdotes about the Armadillo World Headquarters, Scholz Garden, the Raw Deal, and legendary Austin characters including the Mad Dogs, The Flying Zs, and fellow activists who shaped the city's progressive culture.
Content Warning: adult themes, obscene language, references to drug use
Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on computers zoom.
Chapters:
01:00 - Introduced to Eddie through Stan Alexander
02:00 - Dallas days and right-wing atmosphere
03:00 - Meeting Eddie to see the future the Armadillo World Headquarters
04:00 - The May 1970 anti-war demonstrations
07:00 - Judge Roberts saying "Let 'em March"
09:00 - The improbable "Bud" Shrake
10:00 - The honorary Mad Dogs
12:00 - Eddie opens the Raw Deal
16:00 - Jane Fonda stops in Austin to protest the war
18:00 - Scholz Garden as a liberal gathering place
19:00 - The Flying Zs and legendary Austin characters
27:00 - Defending the Rag, the underground newspaper
30:00 - Young waves of activism and the "radical lawyers conferences"
34:00 - Stoney Burns and the Dallas Notes obscenity case
39:00 - Texas Supreme Court arguments and victories
40:00 - University of Texas loyalty oath elimination
43:00 - Becoming a labor lawyer in Dallas
46:00 - Role of unions in Texas progressive politics
49:00 - Coalition of labor, civil rights, and liberal movements
52:00 - White v. Regester (1973) landmark case
54:00 - Creating single member districts
56:00 - Staying in the fight
58:00 - Working with Judge Wayne Justice
1:00 - County commissioner and city council redistricting in East Texas
1:03 - Shuttle bus worker strike activates campus students into politics
1:04 - Ann Richards' county commissioner campaign
1:05 - Ann's swearing-in ceremony at the Raw Deal
1:07 - Connections across generations of activists
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Guest List: Dave Richards, an accomplished civil rights and labor lawyer, with a "sue the bastards" battle cry; head of the landmark voting rights case, White v. Regester. Dave's memoir: Once Upon a Time in Texas: A Liberal in the Lone Star State is published through UT Press.
Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard
Editor, Renee O'Connor
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar
Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor
Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic
Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik
On November 13, 2025, David Richards passed away peacefully at home at age 92, surrounded by family. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Novack; his children Dan, Clark, Ellen, Sam, and Hallie Richards, 10 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Cecile Richards. (Dignity Memorial, November 17, 2025)
