Getty Lisa Banks sitting behind Christine Ford.
Who was the woman in the black blazer who sat behind Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing gathering Ford’s testimony into her allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh?
The woman is Lisa Banks, an attorney for Christine Ford. When Ford first entered the hearing room, Banks interacted with her in an empathetic fashion. (Zina Bash, the woman sitting behind Brett Kavanaugh in a previous nomination hearing, became a point of controversy.)
Several people immediately spotted that the woman sitting behind Blasey Ford to her right – and who appeared on camera the most of anyone in the audience – was Lisa Banks. Other people spotted in the audience included Keith Koegler, a friend of Blasey Ford’s who submitted an affidavit saying that she told him about the alleged assault before Kavanaugh was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. Kavanaugh denies Blasey Ford’s accusations and all others against him (two other women have accused him by name).
Debra Katz is sitting to Dr. Ford’s right. Lisa Banks is over her right shoulder. Sen. Feinstein addressing Dr. Ford out of the gate. Interesting strategy. #KavanaughHearings
WHO IS WITH BLASEY FORD:
Attorneys Debra Katz and Michael Bromwich are sitting with her at the table.
Behind her is attorney Lisa Banks and Blasey’s friend Keith Koegler who submitted an affadavit that Blasey Ford told him about the attack prior to Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lisa Banks Works With Ford’s Other Attorney Debra Katz
Debra Katz, who, like Banks, is a Democratic donor, has received a lot of the news attention in representing Ford. However, Lisa Banks is an attorney for the same law firm who is also involved in representing Ford. They both work for the law firm Katz, Marshall, and Banks.
Lisa Banks and Debra Katz were supposed to host a fundraiser for Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, but they pulled out of the event after representing Ford.
According to Banks’s law firm bio:
Lisa Banks has successfully litigated employment discrimination and whistleblower protection cases at the trial court and appellate level for over 20 years. Ms. Banks is a founding partner of Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLP, where she concentrates her practice on claims related to employment discrimination, sexual harassment, Title IX, whistleblower retaliation, SEC and CFTC whistleblower tips, and contractual employment disputes. Ms. Banks is an experienced advocate who has consistently achieved outstanding results on behalf of her clients either in court or through negotiated settlement.
Ms. Banks has significant experience in federal and state courts, including courts in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Illinois, Colorado, and Tennessee, and has achieved success at all levels, including appeals in the Fourth, Sixth, Tenth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits. She has also represented numerous whistleblowers before the Department of Labor (DOL) in the transportation, nuclear, financial, and pharmaceutical industries.