Published:
Friday, July 17, 2015
David Russell’s passion for civil liberties began with an infringement on his own civil liberties while serving as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force for 10 years. David became a conscientious objector and applied to be discharged because of his beliefs. The process took a year and culminated with his application being denied, as the Air Force claimed his objection was merely “political.” After two more years of appeals, David was honorably discharged.
”I became a conscientious objector based on my moral objection to my participation in war; it is a violation of my moral code to participate in any taking of human life, and I object to the idea that any governmental agency should be charged with such a task. Yet, I was forced to continue serving for another three years in the Air Force before they actually let me out. So civil liberties are near and dear to my heart.”
Upon his release from the military, David decided to pursue his passion for civil liberties both through doing volunteer work and attending law school; he has just completed his first year at the University of Washington School of Law. Even within the law school, David is fighting with a group of fellow students to increase diversity and change admissions standards.
“The law is one of the whitest professions out there, and we want to change that. It’s tough though. Initiative 200, which was adopted in 1998 as Washington’s response to affirmative action, says you can’t consider race [in public education admissions]. And that’s what the school relies on. We are trying to work around that.”
Now as an intern at the ACLU-WA, David is researching Burien’s trespass ordinance to learn how it has affected homeless youth. His initial research has found that the ordinance essentially criminalizes homelessness itself. David also is assisting with an amicus brief on a First Amendment issue.
Outside of law school, David has volunteered with Street Youth Legal Advocates, an organization that works to seal juvenile criminal records so that people can have access to public housing and a fairer opportunity to obtain employment. He has also worked with the Prison and Family Justice Project which helps people resolve their court-imposed debts, or Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs). David has volunteered as a legal observer with Black Lives Matter, seeking to make sure that the police don’t infringe on people’s rights at protests.
In his free time, David enjoys hiking, walking around Green Lake with his dog Lulu, and going to his yurt in the southern Cascades.
”I became a conscientious objector based on my moral objection to my participation in war; it is a violation of my moral code to participate in any taking of human life, and I object to the idea that any governmental agency should be charged with such a task. Yet, I was forced to continue serving for another three years in the Air Force before they actually let me out. So civil liberties are near and dear to my heart.”
Upon his release from the military, David decided to pursue his passion for civil liberties both through doing volunteer work and attending law school; he has just completed his first year at the University of Washington School of Law. Even within the law school, David is fighting with a group of fellow students to increase diversity and change admissions standards.
“The law is one of the whitest professions out there, and we want to change that. It’s tough though. Initiative 200, which was adopted in 1998 as Washington’s response to affirmative action, says you can’t consider race [in public education admissions]. And that’s what the school relies on. We are trying to work around that.”
Now as an intern at the ACLU-WA, David is researching Burien’s trespass ordinance to learn how it has affected homeless youth. His initial research has found that the ordinance essentially criminalizes homelessness itself. David also is assisting with an amicus brief on a First Amendment issue.
Outside of law school, David has volunteered with Street Youth Legal Advocates, an organization that works to seal juvenile criminal records so that people can have access to public housing and a fairer opportunity to obtain employment. He has also worked with the Prison and Family Justice Project which helps people resolve their court-imposed debts, or Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs). David has volunteered as a legal observer with Black Lives Matter, seeking to make sure that the police don’t infringe on people’s rights at protests.
In his free time, David enjoys hiking, walking around Green Lake with his dog Lulu, and going to his yurt in the southern Cascades.
