Heather Russell

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Heather Russell

Hamilton County Municipal Court District 5

Tenure

2002 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

23

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2019

Personal

Birthplace

Cleveland, Ohio

Religion

Jewish

Contact

Personal Facebook

Heather Russell is a judge for District 5 of the Hamilton County Municipal Court in Ohio. She assumed office in 2002. Her current term ends on January 4, 2026.

Russell ran for re-election for the District 5 judge of the Hamilton County Municipal Court in Ohio. She won in the general election on November 5, 2019.

Russell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Heather Russell was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She received her undergraduate degree from Miami University of Ohio in 1980 and her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1983. Russell previously served on the Loveland City Council. She has been associated with Hadassah, Temple, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Cincinnati Bar Association, American Judges Association, and the Ohio Association of Municipal Court judges.

In 2019, Russell was named a UC College of Law distinguished law alumni and received an Ohio Victim Services Model of Justice award and a Cincinnati Bar Association Women's Committee Julia Steinberg award. She created and was the first to preside over a supreme court certified human trafficking docket.

Career

• 2002-Present: Judge, Hamilton County Municipal Court
• 1984-2001: Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Hamilton County
• 1999-2002: Councilwoman, Loveland City Council

Elections

2019

See also: Municipal elections in Hamilton County, Ohio (2019)

General election

General election for Hamilton County Municipal Court District 5

Incumbent Heather Russell defeated Kari Bloom in the general election for Hamilton County Municipal Court District 5 on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Heather Russell (Nonpartisan)	63.3	18,308
		Kari Bloom (Nonpartisan)	36.7	10,611

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 28,919
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2013

Heather Russell ran for re-election to the Hamilton County Municipal Court.
General: She won without opposition in the general election on November 5, 2013.

See also: Ohio judicial elections, 2013

2012

Russell was one of four candidates competing for two seats on the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas in the general election on November 6, 2012. She was not elected to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, receiving 19.49% of the vote.

See also: Ohio judicial elections, 2012 - Courts of Common Pleas

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Heather Russell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Russell's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Married for 34 years, have lived in my Judicial District & raised two grown sons in my district. Assistant prosecuting attorney for 17 years, Loveland City Council; currently in my 18th year as an elected Hamilton County Municipal Court judge. I'm passionate about improving the lives of the most vulnerable who appear before me: those with mental health issues;those who have been battered; those who batter because that's what they've been taught. These are issues with universal appeal; no partisanship involved.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• 18 yrs experience
• created Ohio's 3rd Human Trafficking Court
• local and state recognition for Restorative Justice, H.T Court

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

breaking cycle of domestic violence for both the batterer and the battered. Restorative Justice for sex trafficked victims who get caught in criminal justice system...created CHANGE Court to address the TRAUMA, homelessness, addiction and lack of self esteem for trafficked victims.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admire Pres. George W Bush for his ability to build relationships in good timmes so that when bad times came he could call upon other leaders and they trusted him. I also have a local judge who is my role model, Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Pat Dinkelacker. He has a tremendous work ethic. I share his values. He consistently follows the law, gives a well reasoned decision, and does the right thing which is not always the popular thing.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Law is complex.Study the US Constitution, Ohio Constitution, Local Rules and state statutes.
To Kill a Mockingbird

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Follow the law. Don't keep try to change the law.If you don't like the law, go to the legislsture to change it, don't legislate from the bench. Keep your word. Stay neutral. Let both parties know that you will not be swayed in your decision by bias sympathy or prejudice. Be a problem solver.

What legacy would you like to leave?

CHANGE COURT for sex trafficked victims:

had the vision to create CHANGE Court
had the relationships to build it
wrote the policy manual
created the policies and structure
3rd Court in all Ohio to get Ohio Supreme Court certification, and re certificatio

re united families, gotten people off government benefits, helped improve the next generation by saving their mother

CHANGE ING LIVES

SAVING LIVES

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember l watching JFK's funeral on tv. Everyone was sad. My mother explained to me that the president wasn't really in the casket, because his soul was going to heaven. I was five or six I think, and I remember looking at the procession to see if I could see his soul rising to heaven.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked in the costume jewelry department at Macy's until I began Law School

What is your favorite book? Why?

To Kill a Mockingbird

quiet confidence in the judge
follow the law
empathy

good lawyering

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

The Little Engine That Could. She thought she could, and she did. She exemplifies a humble confidence in herself. Often times if I am able to instill self-confidence in victims of human trafficking, they are capable of much more than they ever believed they could do. But it starts with a belief in yourself

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

baby shark (walk up song in last night s MLB playoff game)

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

lWhen I'm the Duty judge, I'm on call 24/7 for search warrants. I'm the impartial magistrate referenced in the 4th amendment. I protect individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures.

If an individual must appear in any kind of court, it's most likely to be in Municipal Court.I manage a fast paced high volume docket, averaging 40+ cases a day.

The judicial branch is the 3rd separate-but-equal -branch of the government. Ohio judges are non partisan. I'm a judge not a politician; I stay above the political fray

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

I follow the law!

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

Judge Patrick Dinkelacker. noted as someone I admire, see above.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Yes. Judges are human!! It is ok to feel empathy; but I cannot let it affect my decision on guilt or innocence. Its It's my empathetic nature that drew me to trying to stop the cycle of violence in Domestic Violence...because if the D.V. is proven, I am willing to see not only the battered as a victim, but also the batterer as a victim. S/he has observed or experience something that caused them to make bad decisions. Same with trafficked persons, addicts, almost appearing before me...something has happened to cause their criminal behavior & I want to find out. and help them change.
.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

The only time that I was in an election where the local bar gave an opinion, I was given a recommended rating. Currently the bar sends out an anonymous survey for lawyers to fill in and the merely published the survey without any recommendation made. That survey has not yet begun for are election 21 days away but I'm told there will be one

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I have held the seat since January 2002. I have 18 years of experience and 35 years of legal experience. Due to maintaining my license, I am current on the law, receiving 40 hours of judicial CLE every two years. So you have my experience my wisdom and I stay current on the law with CLE classes. In 2014 I was able to use my relationship building strengths to bring together people from all walks of life from all disciplines from all political parties to create a human trafficking cord. I had to write policy which had to be approved by the Ohio Supreme Court oh, I had to create a structure working with many agencies and entities oh, I had to get the approval of the other 13 judges in my court I was the third judge in Ohio to get Ohio Supreme Court certification as a human trafficking specialty court docket . I Am Changing Lives. I am saving lives . We have had small But Mighty successes. I just want the opportunity to continue to grow what I started

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. A judge is not a politician. It's a whole different skill set to be able to make evidentiary rulings From the Bench and to create an atmosphere for compromise and settlements. I think it's more helpful to be a mother where you had the experience of dealing with one kid who tells you I didn't spill the milk he did,and the other one's pointing the finger right back at the first one. As stated above we need less Politics and politicians on the bench not more. We need to stop seeing people with mental health and people with addiction issues we need to stop seeing people with mental health

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

Over politicized. Judges are not politicians

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

Stop seeing all people with mental health and addiction issues as criminals who need to be locked up...and create a process whereby family members can petition the court to commit their loved ones who are suffering with mental health and addiction issues into secured TREATMENt programs of varying lengths.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

No higher court for me. I am right where I want to be. The people who come before Municipal Court judges are people who just need someone to listen to them give them Direction and offer them a helping hand. Often times in a higher Court a judge is not able to offer that type of help

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

Not really. I think that unfortunately Bar Association recommendations are popularity contests, and people will respond to the survey even when they have never appeared in front of a judge either because they want to bolster that judge's chances of winning, or bolster the opponent's chances of winning. I dont have sour graped...I am the recipient of my local bar Association s 2019 award for exemplary professionalism in a female counsellor.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Footnotes

Ohio courts

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Federal courts:

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio

State courts:

Ohio Supreme Court • Ohio District Courts of Appeal • Ohio Courts of Common Pleas • Ohio County Courts • Ohio Municipal Courts • Ohio Court of Claims

State resources:

Courts in Ohio • Ohio judicial elections • Judicial selection in Ohio