Healthcare Worker Sentenced for Accessing Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Medical Records
Trent Russell, a former transplant coordinator, was sentenced to two years in prison for illegally accessing and disclosing the medical records of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Russell, who worked at the Washington Regional Transplant Community, accessed Ginsburg’s records in 2019 and published the information online alongside false claims about her health and death. While Russell’s motivations remain unclear, prosecutors argued that he targeted Ginsburg due to her public profile, age, and illness, making her particularly vulnerable. The court rejected Russell’s excuses, including a claim that his cat accessed the records, and emphasized the severity of the crime and the damage caused to Ginsburg’s privacy.
John Q. Hosedrinker