---
title: "Wesley G. Russell, Jr. | KnowJudges"
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page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-08-22"
---

# Wesley G. Russell, Jr.

Supreme Court of Virginia · Justice

## Profile

- Court: Supreme Court of Virginia
- State: Virginia
- Role: Justice
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-08-22

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## 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

### cell phones and electronic devices

Scope: statewide

Virginia courts commonly restrict cell phones and other electronic devices in court buildings; counsel and litigants should check the local court policy before arrival.

Evidence excerpt: Most courts in Virginia do not allow you to bring a cell phone or other electronic device into the building.

[Cell Phone & Electronic Device Policy](https://selfhelp.vacourts.gov/node/30/cell-phone-electronic-device-policy)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://vacourts.gov/courts/scv/home)
- [Official roster](https://vacourts.gov/courts/scv/home)
- [Virginia's Judicial System official judicial roster](https://vacourts.gov/courts/scv/home)
- [Cell Phone & Electronic Device Policy](https://selfhelp.vacourts.gov/node/30/cell-phone-electronic-device-policy)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Wesley Glenn Russell Jr. is an American jurist serving as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia since July 1, 2022, elected by the Virginia General Assembly to a 12‐year term ending June 30, 2034
- Supreme Court of Virginia Justice (2022–present): Elected June 17, 2022, succeeding Justice Donald W. Lemons
- Virginia Court of Appeals Judge (2015–2022): Elected by the General Assembly in 2014 for an eight‐year term starting February 1, 2015
- Private Practice (1996–2010, 2014–2015): Partner at McSweeney, Crump, Childress & Timple PC in Richmond
- Deputy Attorney General (2010–2014): Led the Civil Litigation Division of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Office of the Attorney General
- Law Clerk (1995–1996): held the role of a law clerk to four judges of the Richmond Circuit Court — R.W. Duling, Donald W. Lemons, T.N. Nance, and W.W. Stout III

### Education

- George Mason University School of Law (now Antonin Scalia Law School) — J.D. (1995)
- University of Virginia — B.A. (1992)

### Additional information

- His term runs until June 30, 2034.
- Russell was born in Hampton, Virginia in 1970.
- handling civil litigation and appellate work.
- As a Supreme Court Justice, Russell presides over Virginia’s highest appellate court, reviewing significant legal issues in state and federal cases.
- Virginia’s judicial selection process for the Supreme Court is nonpartisan, with justices elected by a majority vote of both chambers of the General Assembly.