 In 1919 Russell, a Catholic, appeared in front of the House of Lords in "Bourne v Keane" [1919] AC 815, in which the Lords overtuned the rule that a bequest for masses for the dead was void for being "for superstitious uses".Lord Birkenhead, who had heard the case, was so impressed by Russell's performance that he arranged for him to be appointed to the Chancery Division of the High Court the same year.Unusually, upon appointment Russell declined the customary knighthood because, as the son of a peer, he outranked a knight bachelor.