Fred L. Banks, Jr. is an advocate for peace who changed the face of justice. Attorney Banks has managed to leave his mark everywhere he has been. That includes Howard University where he graduated cum laude, and ranked second in his class. Howard University prepared Banks for his return trip home where he was one of only ten African American lawyers in the whole state of Mississippi. Fred Banks’ conviction would not allow him to be content with that distinction. Banks was part of the civil rights defense team that helped to implement in 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the 1967 Housing Rights Act, and the desegregation of schools.

A native of Jackson, Mississippi, and graduate of Lanier High School, Fred Banks was recognized throughout the state for his hard work and dedication, which ascended him to the legislature, and then to the position of judge. Once on the bench, Judge Banks saw the inequities in the criminal justice system and transformed his courtroom into a beacon of truth. It was Judge Banks’ appreciation for truth and justice that gained him the position of being only the second African American to be on the Mississippi Supreme Court. He was slated to become the next Chief Justice before his retirement from the Supreme Court. He now serves as a corporate attorney with Phelps Dunbar, LLP.