Russell was born in 1970 in Hampton, Virginia and received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and his Juris Doctor from Antonin Scalia Law School (previously George Mason University School of Law).
[1] Prior to joining the court, Russell was the deputy attorney general for civil litigation for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
He was also a partner at the law firm of McSweeney, Crump, Childress & Timple PC.
[2] Russell was first elected by the General Assembly on March 10, 2006, to an eight-year term beginning January 20, 2014.
[1] His term would have expired on January 31, 2023,[3] however, he was elected to the Virginia Supreme Court.