diff --git a/code/modules/admin/sql_ban_system.dm b/code/modules/admin/sql_ban_system.dm
index cd0ae40ece5..20d5e601b8c 100644
--- a/code/modules/admin/sql_ban_system.dm
+++ b/code/modules/admin/sql_ban_system.dm
@@ -3,54 +3,88 @@
 
 #define MAX_REASON_LENGTH 600
 
-//checks client ban cache or DB ban table if ckey is banned from one or more roles
-//doesn't return any details, use only for if statements
-/proc/is_banned_from(player_ckey, list/roles)
-	if(!player_ckey)
-		return
+/**
+ * Checks client ban cache or, if it doesn't exist, queries the DB ban table to see if the player's
+ * ckey is banned from at least one of the provided roles.
+ *
+ * Returns TRUE if the player matches with one or more role bans.
+ * Returns FALSE if the player doesn't match with any role bans. Possible errors states also return FALSE.
+ *
+ * Args:
+ * * player_key - Either key or ckey of the player you want to check for role bans.
+ * * roles - Accepts either a single role string, or a list of role strings.
+ */
+/proc/is_banned_from(player_key, list/roles)
+	if(!player_key)
+		stack_trace("Called is_banned_from without specifying a ckey.")
+		return FALSE
+
+	// Convert to ckey. This allows is_banned_from to take either key or ckey interchangably,
+	// and is officially a feature of the proc.
+	var/player_ckey = ckey(player_key)
+
 	var/client/player_client = GLOB.directory[player_ckey]
+
+	// If there's a player client, we try to set up their ban cache (if it doesn't already exist) and test from that.
 	if(player_client)
 		var/list/ban_cache = retrieve_ban_cache(player_client)
+
+		// If this isn't a list, the client disconnected while building it.
 		if(!islist(ban_cache))
-			return // Disconnected while building the list.
+			return FALSE
+
+		// If it is a list, check each role.
 		if(islist(roles))
 			for(var/role in roles)
 				if(role in ban_cache)
 					return TRUE //they're banned from at least one role, no need to keep checking
-		else if(roles in ban_cache)
-			return TRUE
+
+			return FALSE
+
+		// Otherwise, it's just a single role string. Return if it's in the ban cache.
+		return (roles in ban_cache)
+
+	// If there's no player client, we'll ask the database.
+	var/values = list(
+		"player_ckey" = player_ckey,
+		"must_apply_to_admins" = !!(GLOB.admin_datums[player_ckey] || GLOB.deadmins[player_ckey]),
+	)
+
+	var/sql_roles
+	if(islist(roles))
+		var/list/sql_roles_list = list()
+		for (var/i in 1 to roles.len)
+			values["role[i]"] = roles[i]
+			sql_roles_list += ":role[i]"
+		sql_roles = sql_roles_list.Join(", ")
 	else
-		var/values = list(
-			"player_ckey" = player_ckey,
-			"must_apply_to_admins" = !!(GLOB.admin_datums[player_ckey] || GLOB.deadmins[player_ckey]),
-		)
-		var/sql_roles
-		if(islist(roles))
-			var/list/sql_roles_list = list()
-			for (var/i in 1 to roles.len)
-				values["role[i]"] = roles[i]
-				sql_roles_list += ":role[i]"
-			sql_roles = sql_roles_list.Join(", ")
-		else
-			values["role"] = roles
-			sql_roles = ":role"
-		var/datum/db_query/query_check_ban = SSdbcore.NewQuery({"
-			SELECT 1
-			FROM [format_table_name("ban")]
-			WHERE
-				ckey = :player_ckey AND
-				role IN ([sql_roles]) AND
-				unbanned_datetime IS NULL AND
-				(expiration_time IS NULL OR expiration_time > NOW())
-				AND (NOT :must_apply_to_admins OR applies_to_admins = 1)
-		"}, values)
-		if(!query_check_ban.warn_execute())
-			qdel(query_check_ban)
-			return
-		if(query_check_ban.NextRow())
-			qdel(query_check_ban)
-			return TRUE
+		values["role"] = roles
+		sql_roles = ":role"
+
+	var/datum/db_query/query_check_ban = SSdbcore.NewQuery({"
+		SELECT 1
+		FROM [format_table_name("ban")]
+		WHERE
+			ckey = :player_ckey AND
+			role IN ([sql_roles]) AND
+			unbanned_datetime IS NULL AND
+			(expiration_time IS NULL OR expiration_time > NOW())
+			AND (NOT :must_apply_to_admins OR applies_to_admins = 1)
+	"}, values)
+
+	// If there's an SQL error, return FALSE.
+	if(!query_check_ban.warn_execute())
 		qdel(query_check_ban)
+		return FALSE
+
+	// If there are any rows, we got a match and they're role banned from at least one role.
+	if(query_check_ban.NextRow())
+		qdel(query_check_ban)
+		return TRUE
+
+	// Otherwise, they're not banned from any roles in the DB.
+	qdel(query_check_ban)
+	return FALSE
 
 //checks DB ban table if a ckey, ip and/or cid is banned from a specific role
 //returns an associative nested list of each matching row's ban id, bantime, ban round id, expiration time, ban duration, applies to admins, reason, key, ip, cid and banning admin's key in that order
diff --git a/code/modules/antagonists/_common/antag_datum.dm b/code/modules/antagonists/_common/antag_datum.dm
index 3c3e30dd45c..f2ba37bc3ba 100644
--- a/code/modules/antagonists/_common/antag_datum.dm
+++ b/code/modules/antagonists/_common/antag_datum.dm
@@ -260,8 +260,13 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_EMPTY(antagonists)
  */
 /datum/antagonist/proc/is_banned(mob/player)
 	if(!player)
+		stack_trace("Called is_banned without a mob. This shouldn't happen.")
 		return FALSE
-	. = (is_banned_from(player.ckey, list(ROLE_SYNDICATE, job_rank)) || QDELETED(player))
+
+	if(!player.ckey)
+		return FALSE
+
+	return (is_banned_from(player.ckey, list(ROLE_SYNDICATE, job_rank)) || QDELETED(player))
 
 /**
  * Proc that replaces a player who cannot play a specific antagonist due to being banned via a poll, and alerts the player of their being on the banlist.
diff --git a/code/modules/mob_spawn/mob_spawn.dm b/code/modules/mob_spawn/mob_spawn.dm
index fe9240e9736..5226da3471a 100644
--- a/code/modules/mob_spawn/mob_spawn.dm
+++ b/code/modules/mob_spawn/mob_spawn.dm
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@
 		LAZYREMOVE(ckeys_trying_to_spawn, user_ckey)
 		return
 
-	if(is_banned_from(user.key, role_ban))
+	if(is_banned_from(user.ckey, role_ban))
 		to_chat(user, span_warning("You are banned from this role!"))
 		LAZYREMOVE(ckeys_trying_to_spawn, user_ckey)
 		return
diff --git a/code/modules/unit_tests/emoting.dm b/code/modules/unit_tests/emoting.dm
index e1cb9ba8bd2..2b24d33e9e6 100644
--- a/code/modules/unit_tests/emoting.dm
+++ b/code/modules/unit_tests/emoting.dm
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 /datum/unit_test/emoting/Run()
 	var/mob/living/carbon/human/human = allocate(/mob/living/carbon/human/consistent)
+	human.key = "EmoteTestKey"
 	RegisterSignal(human, COMSIG_MOB_EMOTE, PROC_REF(on_emote_used))
 
 	human.say("*shrug")
@@ -21,6 +22,8 @@
 	human.say("*deathgasp")
 	TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(emotes_used, 2, "Human could not deathgasp while unconscious")
 
+	human.key = null
+
 /datum/unit_test/emoting/proc/on_emote_used()
 	SIGNAL_HANDLER
 	emotes_used += 1