Dr. Ralph Banks

Biography

Ralph Richard Banks is the Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and a professor by courtesy at the School of Education. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he graduated from Stanford University with a BA and MA in 1987 and earned his JD from Harvard Law School in 1994. He has been a member of the Stanford faculty since 1998. Prior to his academic career, Banks practiced law at O'Melveny & Myers and served as the Reginald F. Lewis Fellow at Harvard Law School. He also clerked for the Honorable Barrington D. Parker, Jr. in the Southern District of New York. Professor Banks specializes in family law, employment discrimination law, and race law, and is the author of 'Marriage for White People?,' which discusses the decline of African American marriage and its broader social implications. His scholarly work has appeared in prestigious publications such as the Stanford Law Review and Yale Law Journal. Additionally, he has contributed to various media outlets, including ABC News and National Public Radio.

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