{"id":53819,"date":"2020-03-11T23:53:57","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T23:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/?p=53819"},"modified":"2020-08-18T18:28:33","modified_gmt":"2020-08-18T18:28:33","slug":"gina-r-russo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/gina-r-russo\/","title":{"rendered":"Gina R. Russo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Office: <\/strong>For Judge of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
Unexpired Term Ending 1\/5\/2023<\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Age: <\/strong>42<\/p>\n

Residence: <\/strong>Columbus<\/p>\n

Email: <\/strong>gina_russo@fccourts.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Website: <\/strong>http:\/\/www.judgeginarusso.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Social Media: <\/strong>http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ginarussoforjudge\/<\/a> http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/grrusso2020<\/a><\/p>\n

Occupation: <\/strong>Judge, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas-General Division<\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>J.D., Wake Forest University School of Law<\/p>\n

Work Experience: <\/strong>2012-2019 Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Franklin County, Ohio, 2002-2012 Civil Litigator, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP<\/p>\n

Family: <\/strong>Daughter, sister and aunt<\/p>\n

Affiliations: <\/strong>Ohio Judicial Conference, Member, Columbus Bar Association, Member, Ohio State Bar Association, Member, Inns of Court, Member, Athletic Club of Columbus Community Crew Member<\/p>\n

Endorsements: <\/strong>Columbus\/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council; Teamsters Local Union 284; Teamsters Local Union 413; Columbus Firefighters Union Local #67, I.A.F.F.<\/p>\n

Bar Association Ratings: <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)<\/strong>
I am currently a Judge on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas-General Division (March 2019 to present). I preside over a combined civil and criminal docket of approximately 600 cases.<\/p>\n

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?<\/strong>
In addition to my current position as Judge, I have significant experience as a lawyer in both criminal and civil law, which is exceedingly rare among judges. From 2012 to 2019, I worked relentlessly to protect the citizens of Franklin County as an Assistant Prosecutor for Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien. I quickly advanced from a juvenile prosecutor, to the grand jury unit, and ultimately to the adult-felony trial team, where I tried numerous murder cases and other important, high-level felony cases.<\/p>\n

I worked extensively with law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes and became proficient in analyzing crime scenes and conducting expert forensic examinations. In doing so, I became particularly skilled in trial work and sharpened my knowledge of the rules of evidence and other court rules. I worked tirelessly to prepare cases for trial and interacted with members of the community daily as victims, witnesses and potential jurors.<\/p>\n

From 2002 to 2012, I worked as a civil litigator for the law office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP. There, I handled a large variety of complex civil matters involving contracts, torts, product liability, personal injury, workers’ compensation, employment, and construction litigation. I argued cases before many trial and appellate courts across the region, including the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.<\/p>\n

I am well-versed in the rules of civil procedure and I have conducted extensive pre-trial discovery, taken hundreds of depositions and drafted numerous motions in both state and federal courts. I understand the realities of navigating through tough situations, working with clients and being held accountable for resolving cases in an appropriate manner. As a former civil litigator, I appreciate the alternative methods of dispute resolution and encourage their use among clients and other litigants.<\/p>\n

My diverse background in both civil law and criminal prosecution best positions me to take the bench as a judge who presides over a combined docket of both civil and criminal cases. During my seventeen years as a civil and criminal litigator, I have practiced in most areas of the law and have the prior “real-life” experience for which there is no substitute. My experience has been extensive and expansive and I have the background, education and experience to serve on the Franklin County bench.<\/p>\n

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?<\/strong>
I am running to keep my seat on the court because I believe that there is no reason to wear a black robe other than to positively impact our community.<\/p>\n

As your Judge, I am extremely passionate about the law and I believe that the law requires, and this great community deserves, equal access to a fair and impartial court. My passion for the law is evidenced by my extensive criminal law and civil law background. With my diverse background, I am acutely aware of the important role judges play in the legal system.<\/p>\n

Since taking the bench, I have established quality court practices and procedures for the smooth administration of justice. I ensure that cases on my docket are addressed efficiently and that my decisions are issued timely. I approach each case with compassion and empathy. I give everyone in my courtroom an opportunity to be heard and I work with an open mind to treat everyone fairly and with respect. I appreciate that people present different viewpoints, beliefs and positions.<\/p>\n

I understand my role as judge to acknowledge each side and preside with diplomacy. I listen to the facts and evidence presented and I apply the law fairly, consistently and evenly to all parties, no matter which side of the argument they present. I strive to reach the right result and ensure that justice is served. I can, and do, make the tough decisions that every judge must make and I am not persuaded by public opinion. I work thoughtfully and deliberately, always with the rule of law and the safety of the community at the forefront of my decisions. I preside over my cases with honesty, integrity and civility, and will continue to do so for the citizens of Franklin County because I believe this is what the community deserves.<\/p>\n

As a judge, I understand that I am in a position to profoundly affect many peoples’ lives and I take this responsibility seriously. I make best efforts to positively impact the individuals who appear before me as well as the communities they belong to, while providing equal access to a fair and impartial court to all. Equal access to a fair and impartial court is the foundation of our legal system and it is the reason I am running to remain your Franklin County Judge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Office: For Judge of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, General DivisionUnexpired Term Ending 1\/5\/2023 Age: 42 Residence: Columbus Email: gina_russo@fccourts.org Website: http:\/\/www.judgeginarusso.com Social Media: http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ginarussoforjudge\/ http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/grrusso2020 Occupation: Judge, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas-General Division Education: J.D., Wake Forest University School of Law Work Experience: 2012-2019 Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Franklin County, Ohio, 2002-2012 Civil Litigator, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP Family: Daughter, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2571,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2571"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53819"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58135,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53819\/revisions\/58135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/judicialvotescount\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}