(Photo
by
Nikki
Kahn/The
Washington
Post
via
Getty
Images)
It’s
been
a
little
more
than
four
years
since
the
late
Justice
Ruth
Bader
Ginsburg
passed
away,
but
before
her
death,
when
her
health,
well-being,
and
ability
to
continue
serving
on
the
Supreme
Court
were
matters
of
high
public
interest,
a
former
health
care
worker
illegally
accessed
her
medical
records
and
published
them
online.
The
perpetrator
was
sentenced
earlier
this
week.
As
noted
by
the
Associated
Press,
Trent
Russell,
34,
of
Bellevue,
Nebraska,
was
convicted
earlier
this
year
of
illegally
accessing
health
care
records
and
destroying
or
altering
records.
Russell
worked
as
a
transplant
coordinator
and
through
his
work
had
access
to
hospital
records,
which
led
to
his
discovery
and
reported
dissemination
of
Ginsburg’s
medical
information.
Here
are
additional
details,
from
the
AP:
Prosecutors
said
Russell
disclosed
the
health
records
on
forums
that
trafficked
in
antisemitic
conspiracy
theories,
including
conspiracy
theories
that
Ginsburg
was
dead,
but
Russell’s
motivations
for
his
actions
were
unclear.
Indeed,
Russell
himself
never
admitted
that
he
accessed
the
records,
at
one
point
suggesting
that
perhaps
his
cat
walked
across
the
keyboard
in
a
way
that
mistakenly
called
up
Ginsburg’s
data.Russell’s
excuses
and
refusal
to
accept
responsibility
prompted
blistering
critiques
from
prosecutors,
who
sought
a
30-month
sentence.“He
offered
completely
implausible
excuses
with
a
straight
face,”
prosecutor
Zoe
Bedell
said.
Russell’s
lawyer
requested
a
sentence
of
probation
or
home
detention;
instead,
Judge
Michael
Nachmanoff
(E.D.
Va.)
senteced
him
to
24
months
in
prison,
referring
to
his
crime
as
“truly
despicable
conduct.”
Nachmanoff
said
that
Russell’s
lying
exacerbated
his
predicament,
saying,
“You
chose
to
blame
your
cat.”
It
is
unknown
at
this
time
whether
Russell
will
appeal.
Health
care
worker
gets
2
years
for
accessing
Ruth
Bader
Ginsburg’s
medical
records
[Associated
Press]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
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love
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