Thomas B. Russell

Senior Judge, Western District of Kentucky, 1994-

Thomas B. Russell
Thomas B. Russell is a senior judge for the Western District of Kentucky. Russell was born in 1945 in Louisville, Kentucky. He received a bachelor's degree from Western Kentucky University in 1967 and a law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1970. Following law school, Russell settled into a private practice in Paducah until 1994. On September 14, 1994, President Bill Clinton nominated Russell to serve as a judge for the Western District Court, to a seat vacated by Judge Edward H. Johnstone. The Senate confirmed Russell's nomination on October 7, 1994. In addition to his duties on the Western District Court, Russell also serves as a judge for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. In 2011, Russell assumed senior status and continues to serve in that capacity.

For more information related to Judge Russell, see the exhibit Sentencing Over Time.

Oral Histories

  • Russell, Thomas, interview by Anu Kasarabada. October 19, 2017, John G. Heyburn II Initiative for Excellence in the Federal Judiciary Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
  • Russell, Thomas, interview by Anu Kasarabada. October 30, 2017, John G. Heyburn II Initiative for Excellence in the Federal Judiciary Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.