Benjamin Rush Jr. is a native of Starkville, Mississippi. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from Murray State University, where he was Vice-President of the Eta Beta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc. Fraternity. Ben was a full athletic scholarship recipient for the Murray State University Football Team. He was also involved in the development of Murray State University’s first Mock Trial Team in which he competed and earned the title as Best Undergraduate Attorney. Based on his experience on the Mock Trial Team, he further pursued his interest in law by attending The University of Mississippi School of Law in Oxford, Mississippi.

 

While in law school, he competed in the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) Mock Trial Team where he lead the University to a Regional Championship. He also interned at the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office in Jackson, Mississippi and North Mississippi Rural Legal Services in Oxford, Mississippi. Ben also interned with Attorney Carlos Moore at Moore Law Office in Grenada, Mississippi. In 2011, he graduated cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law with a Juris Doctorate Degree. Subsequently, he was admitted into the Mississippi and Tennessee Bar Association.

 

After law school, Ben was appointed Assistant Public Defender for Shelby County (Memphis, TN). As a public defender in one of the nation’s busiest public defender offices, he provided legal representation to thousands of indigent Shelby County residents. Ben is also a graduate of the prestigious Southern Public Defender Training Center (Gideon’s Promise). His work alongside others at The Law Office of the Shelby County Public Defender has provided a foundation in the reformation of Tennessee’s underfunded public defender system.

 

In January 2020, Ben joined the District Attorney’s Office of the 16th Judicial District as an Assistant District Attorney under the leadership of District Attorney Scott Colom.

 

Ben is the proud father of two sons (Aidan Rush and Cameron Rush). A life-long hunter, Ben is an avid outdoorsman who loves chasing whitetail deer and wild turkeys in the backwoods of Mississippi.