TRUMP’S NV JUDGE ADMITS CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN 2020 ELECTION LAWSUIT

Picture from 2020 Judge Russell on the bench hearing a lawsuit from Trump delegates claiming 115k fraudulent votes cast

May 13, 2022

Rob Lauer Political Reporter

In 2020, Carson City, NV District Court was the center of several lawsuits brought by then President Trump and the Nevada Republican Party fighting mail in ballots, voter fraud allegations and other election issues. The Carson City District Court has statutory jurisdiction over all election lawsuits. Judge Russell ran for reelection in 2020 just prior to ruling against President Trump and the NV GOP delegates in late 2020 in their lawsuit claiming some 115k fraudulent votes had been cast in Nevada.

The Trump team had provided thousands of records at the hearing. And yet Judge Russell refused to strike a single vote cast by thousands of dead people in Nevada. Judge Russell refused to strike a single vote cast by illegal aliens. Judge Russell refused to strike a single vote cast by 15K people living outside of Nevada. In fact, Judge Russel never allowed any further discovery nor did he initiate any kind of investigation of a single vote cast. Days later he dismissed the lawsuit.

Weeks ago, the same Carson City District Court Judge James T. Russell recused himself from hearing two lawsuits brought by Clinton law firm Mark Elias to kill a mail in ballots and a voter ID ballot initiatives filed against the Nevada Secretary of State citing his own conflict of interest.

It turns out that Jennifer Russell, the Public Information Officer for Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske’s office is Judge Russell’s niece. But Jennifer Russell has been with the SOS’s office at least since 2017, according to Transparent Nevada. Any such ruling that found any voter fraud would have directly conflicted with Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske’s official public statements denying any voter fraud in 2020. Cegavske claimed there was no voter fraud in the 2020 election.

It’s also come to light that Judge Russell is part of political dynasty. His father was Charles Hinton Russell, Nevada Governor from 1951–1959.

360 News has learned that Judge Russell heard two other cases against the Nevada Secretary of State in 2019 and 2020.

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360 News asked Judge Russell why he recused himself this year in the voter ID lawsuit and mail in ballot lawsuit but didn’t recuse himself in the prior Trump 2020 lawsuits? He said he gave the Trump parties notice of his conflict of interest and the parties waived them in the 2019 and 2020 cases. Jesse law and Micheal McDonald both don’t recall any such notice that he gave that he is related to Barbara Cegaskve’s staff. So why didn’t Judge Russell give the Dave Gibbs in the voter ID case same courtesy this year? Instead the case was handed-off to a retired Democrat activist Family Court Judge who struck down the vote ID ballot initiative on a purely partisan bases, claiming voter ID discriminates against black people and minorities.

According to several judges 360 News spoke with on background, Judge Russell should have recused himself under Judicial Code of Conduct Codes of Conduct (nvcourts.gov) from the Trump lawsuit and should not have run for reelection in 2020.

Judge Russell responded to 360 News question if plans on hearing future cases involving the Nevada Secretary of State’s office?

“It is the Judges intent to continue to follow the Judicial Canons of the State of Nevada in all present and future matters that are before him.”