--- title: "George Levi Russell III | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/george-levi-russell-iii" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # George Levi Russell III U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland - State: Maryland - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, D. Maryland, 2012-present - In 2007, Judge Russell was appointed by Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. to the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, where he held the role of an associate judge until 2012. - On November 10, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated him to the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, filling the seat vacated by Judge Peter J. Messitte - Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Maryland, 2002-2007 - He then held the role of an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, first in the Civil Division (1994–1999) and later in the Criminal Division (2002–2007), where he coordinated projects such as Project Safe Neighborhoods. - Between these periods, he returned to private practice at the Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos, P.C. (1999–2002) - Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Maryland, 1994-1999 - Russell began his legal career in private practice, working at Hazel & Thomas, P.C. (1992–1994) and Whiteford Taylor & Preston, P.A. (1994) - After law school, he held the role of a law clerk to Judge Robert M. Bell of the Maryland Court of Appeals from 1991 to 1992 - He has also served on boards such as the Community Law Center, Public Justice Law Center, and Big Brothers Big Sisters ### Education - University of Maryland School of Law in — J.D. (1991) - Morehouse College in — B.A. (1988) - University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law ### Additional information - Private practice, Baltimore, MD, 2000-2002 - Private practice, Baltimore, MD, 1992-1994 - Judge George Levi Russell III was born in 1965 in Baltimore, Maryland. - Date of birth: 1965-01-01 - Additionally, he is affiliated with the Gamma Boule' Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. - Judge Russell’s career reflects a blend of civil and criminal law experience, private practice, and judicial service, culminating in his current role as Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for Maryland, where he oversees federal cases and court administration - Judge Russell comes from a notable legal family; his father, George Levi Russell Jr., was the first African American to serve on the Maryland Circuit Court. - He is a member of the Federal Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, and several local bar associations. - Birth place: Baltimore, MD ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393981) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393981) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393981) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2808/george-levi-russell-iii/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2808/george-levi-russell-iii/) - [Wikidata: George Levi Russell III](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5541699) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/george-levi-russell-iii", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/george-levi-russell-iii", "name": "George Levi Russell III | KnowJudges", "description": "George Levi Russell III, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.