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The ratification of the U.S. Constitution’s 19th Amendment marked a turning point for America as women were guaranteed the right to vote. The struggle for women’s rights is a story of strong women willing to take the lead and pave the way toward equal voting rights for all American citizens. Women today are continuing the suffragists’ legacy of leadership and strength and opening the doors of opportunity for future generations. It is fitting to remember the dedication of women who overcame obstacles to secure the right to vote, and honor the contributions women have made to every aspect of our development as a nation.
In honor of Women's Equality Day, the Missouri Women's Council chose to feature one of the leading women in the state, Chief Justice Mary R. Russell. Chief Justice Russell has been a pioneer in paving the way for many women including women in the practice of law. In an article for the Missouri Bar entitled Skirts in the Courtroom: Missouri's First Rural Women Lawyers, Chief Justice Russell explores the unique challenges women lawyers faced in rural Missouri. To view the article, visit http://www.mobar.org/uploadedFiles/Home/Publications/Journal/2013/09-10/women.pdf.
Please join the Missouri Women's Council in honoring women leaders, such as Chief Justice Mary R. Russell, who have paved the way for future generations of women and also honor those who seek to expand equality in our state.
 MARY R. RUSSELL, a seventh-generation Missourian, was elected chief justice by her colleagues for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2013. She was raised on a dairy farm in Ralls County, near Hannibal, where she learned the value of hard work. She was educated in the Hannibal public schools. She attended Truman State University, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts. She graduated from the University of Missouri–Columbia School of Law.
Upon graduation from law school, Chief Justice Russell clerked for the Hon. George Gunn of the Supreme Court of Missouri. She then practiced law in Hannibal with the law firm of Clay- ton and Rhodes until her appointment to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, in 1995. At the Court of Appeals, she served as chief judge from 1999–2000.
Chief Justice Russell is active in many professional organizations. She is currently a member of The Missouri Bar and many other legal organizations around the state and country. Always promoting the administration of justice, Chief Justice Russell has served on the Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline of Judges; Missouri Lawyers Trust Account Foundation; a commission to select a federal judge for the Eastern District of Missouri in 1993; House of Delegates to the American Bar Association; Young Lawyers Council of The Missouri Bar; numerous Missouri Bar committees; the Missouri Press-Bar Commission; and the Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee and Appellate Practice Committee. She is a past co-chair of the Appellate Practice Committee of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) and has served as chair on other BAMSL committees.
She also has served on a variety of statewide boards and commissions including the Board of Governors of Truman State University (president, 1996), Missouri State Senate Reapportionment Commission in 1991, the Missouri Council on Women’s Economic Development and the Missouri Job Development and Training Council.
Chief Justice Russell is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Women’s Justice Award, the Faculty/Alumni Award from University of Missouri–Columbia, the Citation of Merit Award from the University of Missouri–Columbia Law School, the Spirit of Martha Award from the University of Missouri-Columbia, the Distinguished Alumni Award–Truman State University, the Legal Services of Eastern Missouri Equal Justice Award, the Lasting Legacy award from Missouri CASA, the Soroptomist International Women Helping Women Award, the Jefferson City Rotarian of the Year, Zonta Woman of Achievement in Jefferson City, the Matthews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club Appreciation Award and the Kirkwood Citizen of the Year. She is a Henry Toll Fellow, a member of the Missouri Academy of Squires and a member of the Rollins Society of the University of Missouri.
Active in many community organizations, Chief Justice Russell is a member of the BackStoppers, Inc., Missouri Women’s Forum, Cole County Historical Society, Jefferson City Rotary Club (past president), PEO and Grace Episcopal Church. In 2009, she was the president of the board of directors of Missouri’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Chief Justice Russell also volunteers as a truancy court judge at Lewis and Clark Middle School in Jefferson City. She was active in many organizations in Hannibal and Kirkwood prior to her move to Jefferson City.
In addition to lecturing to many attorney organizations and continuing education programs, she spends many hours demystifying the court system by speaking to community groups and students, while devoting time to mentoring young people.
Chief Justice Russell and her husband Jim live in Jefferson City. She was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2004 and was retained by the voters in November 2006 for a 12-year term, expiring on December 31, 2018.
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