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[[File:Southern Democrat filibuster of anti-lynching legislation.png|thumb|left|280px|Segregationist senators [[Tom Connally]], [[Walter F. George]], Richard Russell, Jr., and [[Claude Pepper]] filibustering the [[Anti-Lynching Bill of 1938]]; at the time the picture was taken, the blockade had already persisted for twenty days.]]

[[File:Southern Democrat filibuster of anti-lynching legislation.png|thumb|left|280px|Segregationist senators [[Tom Connally]], [[Walter F. George]], Richard Russell, Jr., and [[Claude Pepper]] filibustering the [[Anti-Lynching Bill of 1938]]; at the time the picture was taken, the blockade had already persisted for twenty days.]]

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Russell, a lifelong opponent of civil rights, had led racist Southern Democrats in opposition to civil rights legislation ever since the 1930s. Democrat filibusters led by Russell included blocking Republican [[anti-lynching bill]]s during the presidency of [[FDR]], where he utilized a mastery of Senate procedural matters to block a 1935 anti-lynching bill for six days, effectively killing it.<ref>Little, Becky (January 31, 2019). [https://www.history.com/news/fdr-eleanor-roosevelt-anti-lynching-bill Why FDR Didn’t Support Eleanor Roosevelt’s Anti-Lynching Campaign]. ''History.com''. Retrieved January 4, 2021.</ref> During the proceedings for the 1935 bill, Russell said that he was "willing to go as far and make as great a sacrifice to preserve and insure white supremacy in the social, economic, and political life of our state as any man who lives within her borders." Three decades during the 1960s, he tried to halt the [[1964 Civil Rights Act]] before the Senate was able to enact cloture.

Russell, a lifelong opponent of civil rights, had led racist Southern Democrats in opposition to civil rights legislation ever since the 1930s. Democrat filibusters led by Russell included blocking Republican [[anti-lynching bill]]s during the presidency of [[FDR]], where he utilized a mastery of Senate procedural matters to block a 1935 anti-lynching bill for six days, effectively killing it.<ref>Little, Becky (January 31, 2019). [https://www.history.com/news/fdr-eleanor-roosevelt-anti-lynching-bill Why FDR Didn’t Support Eleanor Roosevelt’s Anti-Lynching Campaign]. ''History.com''. Retrieved January 4, 2021.</ref> During the proceedings for the 1935 bill, Russell said that he was "willing to go as far and make as great a sacrifice to preserve and insure white supremacy in the social, economic, and political life of our state as any man who lives within her borders." <ref>https://www.facingsouth.org/2021/03/confronting-anti-civil-rights-filibuster</ref>Three decades during the 1960s, he tried to halt the [[1964 Civil Rights Act]] before the Senate was able to enact cloture.

An advocate and signatory of the [[Southern Manifesto]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150926013722/http://sti.clemson.edu/component/content/article/192-general-info/790-1956-qsouthern-manifestoq 1956 "Southern Manifesto"]. ''Clemson Strom Thurmond Institute''. Retrieved January 4, 2021.</ref> Sen. Russell in 1957 successfully helped water down the [[1957 Civil Rights Act]] legislation along with then-[[Senate Majority Leader]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], who removed the stringent protections from the original [[Herbert Brownell]] text in Title III and transforming it into a far weaker version of what it originally had been.<ref>DiEugenio, James (October 7, 2018). [https://kennedysandking.com/reviews/the-kennedys-and-civil-rights-how-the-msm-continues-to-distort-history-part-2 The Kennedys and Civil Rights: How the MSM Continues to Distort History, Part 2]. ''Kennedys and King''. Retrieved January 4, 2021.</ref> Johnson had previously hatched a deal with Russell (as well as [[Strom Thurmond]], who broke it) that had the important sections of the bill be removed, he wouldn't filibuster it when it came up on the Senate for a roll call vote. It should be furthermore noted that Russell had been a mentor to Johnson.<ref>[https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/lbj-and-richard-russell-on-vietnam LBJ and Richard Russell on Vietnam]. ''Miller Center''. Retrieved January 4, 2021.</ref>

An advocate and signatory of the [[Southern Manifesto]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150926013722/http://sti.clemson.edu/component/content/article/192-general-info/790-1956-qsouthern-manifestoq 1956 "Southern Manifesto"]. ''Clemson Strom Thurmond Institute''. Retrieved January 4, 2021.</ref> Sen. Russell in 1957 successfully helped water down the [[1957 Civil Rights Act]] legislation along with then-[[Senate Majority Leader]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], who removed the stringent protections from the original [[Herbert Brownell]] text in Title III and transforming it into a far weaker version of what it originally had been.<ref>DiEugenio, James (October 7, 2018). [https://kennedysandking.com/reviews/the-kennedys-and-civil-rights-how-the-msm-continues-to-distort-history-part-2 The Kennedys and Civil Rights: How the MSM Continues to Distort History, Part 2]. ''Kennedys and King''. Retrieved January 4, 2021.</ref> Johnson had previously hatched a deal with Russell (as well as [[Strom Thurmond]], who broke it) that had the important sections of the bill be removed, he wouldn't filibuster it when it came up on the Senate for a roll call vote. It should be furthermore noted that Russell had been a mentor to Johnson.<ref>[https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/lbj-and-richard-russell-on-vietnam LBJ and Richard Russell on Vietnam]. ''Miller Center''. Retrieved January 4, 2021.</ref>