Oral history with Judge Fred L. Banks

              An Oral History with Judge Fred L. Banks, Jr.
This oral history is provided through a cooperative project of USM Libraries and USM's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage It is presented here for reference purposes only. Interviews in this collection are protected by copyright and PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Judge Fred L. Banks Jr. was born in Jackson, Mississippi, on September 1, 1942, the older of two sons of F. L. Banks Sr. and Violet Mabery Banks. After graduating from Lanier High School in Jackson in 1960, he attended Howard University in Washington, D. C., where he received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and was graduated cum laude from law school, second in his class. After being admitted to the Mississippi Bar, he began a private practice in Jackson, initially serving with other lawyers in his office as local counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. That office evolved into the firm of Anderson, Banks, Nichols and Leventhal. In 1975, he was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives and was twice reelected. During his tenure, he served as chair of the House Ethics Committee, the House Judiciary B Committee, and the Legislative Black Caucus. From 1979 to 1981, Judge Banks served as a member of the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions. In February 1985, he was appointed judge of the Seventh Circuit Court District ( Hinds and Yazoo Counties). He was twice unopposed for reelection to this position. In January 1991, Governor Ray Mabus appointed Judge Banks to fill an unexpired term on the Mississippi Supreme Court. He was elected to serve the remainder of that term in November 1991. Judge Banks served on the National Board of Directors of the NAACP, the Minority Advisory Committee to the University of Mississippi School of law, the Board of Visitors at the Mississippi College School of Law, and chairs the Criminal Justice Task Force of the Mississippi Bar Association. He is a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, American Inns of Court, Charles Clark Inn, and the Mississippi, Hinds County, Magnolia, National, American, and District of Columbia Bar Associations. He is married to Pamela Gipson Banks, Ph. D., a clinical psychologist. He has three children, Rachel, Jonathan, and Gabrielle.
Topics Discussed
Grammar school at Holy Child of Jesus Catholic school High school at Lanier College at Howard University Picketing and sit- ins at Howard Graduation from law school mus- coh. banksf Page 1 of 24