Media, Law & Policy

Reaction from Professor Bill Banks on the Passing of Janet Reno

Monday, November 7, 2016, By Keith Kobland

Janet Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney General, passed away this morning at the age of 78 due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease, according to Reno’s sister.

We asked College of Law Professor Bill Banks for his thoughts on Reno’s passing.

“She brought a level of independence and absolute integrity to the Justice Department that has been seldom seen in the modern era,” says Banks. “When she made mistakes (such as the 1993 raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas), she admitted she was wrong, and she enforced the law and passed judgment without regard to partisan advantage. In the area of national security, AG Reno brought an outsider’s view to National Security Council and Cabinet discussions, and she insisted on taking time to independently review the facts, including her response to the attempt on former President Bush’s life in Kuwait, and to the Africa Embassy bombings in 1998.”