Missouri chief justice works to give back
Mary Russell, chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, is in the top position for the second time in her 19 years on the court.
It’s because she has been on the court so long that her turn came around again last year, she said.
Her previous term as chief justice was from July 2013 through June 2015.
“It’s not very frequent because we rotate the position amongst ourselves and everybody get an opportunity to have a two-year term as chief justice,” Russell said. “But when you’ve been here a long period of time, then the opportunity comes around a second time.”
Russell is Missouri’s USA TODAY Woman of the Year for 2024.
Growing up in Hannibal, Russell was valedictorian of her high school class. Her undergraduate degrees in communication and print media are from what is now Truman State University. She was a reporter for her hometown newspaper for a short time.
Russell graduated with her law degree from the University of Missouri. After working in private practice, Russell was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. She became the third woman to serve on the state supreme court in September 2000.
Women paving the way for others
“I think the first, really the most important person that’s paved the way for all women to be on the bench is Ann Covington,” Russell said. “She was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court in Missouri. She began her tenure here in 1989. And because she got the appointment, then it really opened up the doors and made it seem more possible that other women could follow in her footsteps.”
Nationally, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor set the stage as the first woman on the high court.
“I was in law school when she was appointed to the United States Supreme Court,” Russell said. “And that also had a huge impact on the female law students. You know, it made us think there really is a place for us in this profession.”
Covington and O’Connor showed her things were changing for women in the U.S., Russell said.
Her proudest moment
“Probably my proudest moment was this fall when our court became majority female,” Russell said. “That was beyond emotion for me.
“Again, growing up at a time when your gender determined which jobs you could apply for and working in a profession that has always been predominantly male, to think that our court for the first time in its history – since 1821 – now had four women on our bench and majority female for the first time was unbelievable to me.”
She never thought it would happen in her lifetime, and it happened when she’s chief justice, she said.
Guiding principles
A guiding principle for Russell comes from Luke 12:48 in the Bible: “To whom much is given, much is required.”
“I certainly have been blessed with a lot in my lifetime,” she said.
Her family has provided her with a good foundation, she said. She’s been blessed with a reasonable amount of intelligence and a good education.
“So I feel that I have the responsibility to give back and to help others, whether it’s through my service on the bench of through various speaking opportunities. I have to help teach people about civics to help them better understand how our courts work; our function to protect constitutional rights; our function to interpret the law, not to our own preference, but to follow the words written in statutes or in our Constitution.”
Advice she’d give her younger self
“Relax,” she said. “Don’t worry so much. Things are going to work out.”