 Davis was born in Baltimore, Maryland, where he attended primary and secondary public schools, graduating from the Frederick Douglass Senior High School in 1959.He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morgan State College in 1963, Master of Arts from New York University in 1966 and his juris doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1969.Davis was admitted to Maryland Bar in 1969, the U.S. District Court for District of Maryland bar and the U.S. Court of Appeals for 4th Circuit in 1972 and U.S. Supreme Court bar in 1973.