While there, he served on the board of editors of the Virginia Law Review and won election to the Order of the Coif.

[7] Rust won a special election for the 37th district seat in 1996, and then a full two-year term in November 1997.

[8] Rust retained his seat in the 1999 elections, having been named Legislator of the Year by the Virginia Treasurers' Association, Tech Ten Legislator and Business Leader of the Year (all three in 1998) as well as Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Chamber Champion (1999).

Following the 2000 United States Census, Rust helped redraw electoral boundaries.

Rust's legal practice included estate administration services, the preparation of income and estate tax returns; and trust administration services, including maintenance, investment, and distribution of trust accounts.

Rust also was the founding chairman of First Patriot Bankshares Corporation and served on its board from 1987 to 1997.