William Charles Banks (born December 30, 1948) is an American law professor and legal scholar in constitutional law, national security law, and counterterrorism law. He is a Professor of Law Emeritus at Syracuse University College of Law and Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs Emeritus at SU's

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Maxwell School) is the professional public policy school of Syracuse University, a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The school is organized in 11 academic departments and 13 ...

. He is also the current Chair of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Law & National Security.

Early life and education

Banks was born on December 30, 1948, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nebraska in 1971 and J.D. and

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

from the University of Denver in 1974 and 1982, respectively.

Career

Banks joined the faculty of the Syracuse University College of Law in 1978. Since 1998, he has been a Professor of Public Administration in

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. In 2008, he was named the first SU College of Law Board of Advisors Distinguished Professor of Law. In 1994 he was appointed as special counsel to the

United States Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations, a ...

for the confirmation hearings of

Stephen Breyer Stephen Gerald Breyer ( ; born August 15, 1938) is a retired American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1994 until his retirement in 2022. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton, and repl ...

to the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. In 2003, he founded the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, a research institute sponsored by Syracuse University's Maxwell School and College of Law. It was renamed to the

Institute for Security Policy and Law The Institute for Security Policy and Law (SPL), formerly known as the ''Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT)'', is a multidisciplinary research institute based in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and ...

in 2019. Banks is editor-in-chief of the ''Journal of National Security Law & Policy'', the world's only peer-reviewed national security law and policy publication. He currently serves as a member of the

InfraGard InfraGard is a national non-profit organization serving as a public-private partnership between U.S. businesses and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The organization is an information sharing and analysis effort serving the interests, and comb ...

National Members Alliance Board of Advisors; of the Advisory Council for the Perpetual Peace Project; and of the Executive Board of the International Counter-Terrorism Academic Community (ICTAC). He is also a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University. He is a member of the

American Society of International Law The American Society of International Law (ASIL), founded in 1906, was chartered by the United States Congress in 1950 to foster the study of international law, and to promote the establishment and maintenance of international relations on the ba ...

, the American Bar Association, and the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

Publications

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References

External links

SU College of Law ProfileSU Maxwell School Profile
* University of Denver alumni University of Nebraska alumni Living people Syracuse University College of Law Syracuse University faculty 1948 births {{US-legal-academic-bio-stub