PoliticsObama-Honored Lawyer Who Campaigned to Stop Domestic Violence Arrested for Stalking and Beating Girlfriend, Court Complaint Reveals
Barack Obama once honored disgraced lawyer Cody McDavis.
Aug. 5 2026, Published 2:39 p.m. ET
Barack Obama-celebrated lawyer Cody McDavis has been charged for allegedly stalking and beating his girlfriend.
The former basketball player was implicated on July 20 with six felony and three misdemeanor counts, which accuse him of undertaking a campaign of violence and intimidation against his partner between July 2025 and June 2026, a Los Angeles County Superior Court complaint noted.
Cody McDavis Will Be Arraigned on September 2
Cody McDavis' bail has been set at $550,000.
The UCLA graduate, 32, reportedly “willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly” followed and intimidated his girlfriend, and left her fearing for her safety. He also allegedly kept her from reporting the harassment, the court docs said.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on September 2, with his bail being set at $550,000. The athlete also faces three misdemeanor counts of violating a protective order.
The charges against McDavis further include three felony counts of inflicting corporal injury on his partner, two for stalking and one for trying to stop her from pursing prosecution, according to the complaint.
Cody McDavis Previously Supported Barack Obama and Joe Biden's 'It's On Us' Campaign
Barack Obama and Joe Biden's 'It's On Us' campaign was launched in 2014.
McDavis previously advocated for stopping violence against women across college campuses, even winning the White House Champion of Change award under Obama, 65, in 2016 for his part in his “It’s On Us” initiative.
The “It’s On Us” campaign was launched in 2014 by the former POTUS and ex-VP Joe Biden to prevent and end sexual assault on university campuses across the nation.
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Cody McDavis Created a Petition to Persuade the NCAA to Ban Students with a History of Violence From Playing Basketball
Cody McDavis started a petition in 2019 about the NCAA and gender violence.
In 2019, McDavis was interviewed by Sports Illustrated about his endeavors to have the NCAA ban individuals with a history of violence from playing basketball.
That same year, he started a petition that earned over 280,000 signatures in an effort to persuade the NCAA Power Five conferences to support the prohibition on student-athletes with a history of assault.
“My name is Cody McDavis. I am a former Division I student-athlete and the prevalence of sexual violence in college athletics makes me sick. That’s why I’m calling on the Power Five Conference Commissioners — the most influential conferences in the NCAA — to immediately ban student-athletes with a history of violence,” he penned on the Change.org appeal.
Cody McDavis Once Said Gender-Based Violence Made Him 'Sick'
Cody McDavis won the White House Champion of Change award under Barack Obama in 2016.
Also in 2019, the attorney was named a Solidarity Honoree at a Voices of Solidarity event, an entity which recognizes men who stand up against gender violence.
“The women in here who are doing this incredible work are told and told and told we want to hear your voice, but when you start talking, you get shoved down,” McDavis stated during his acceptance speech at the time. “That makes me sick, I can’t stand that.”
