Justine Thornton

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

DBE
Thornton in 2011
High Court Judge
King's Bench Division
Assumed office
28 February 2019
Personal details
Born (1970-09-25) 25 September 1970 (age 53)[1]
Manchester, England
SpouseEd Miliband (m. 2011)
Children2
Alma materRobinson College, Cambridge
ProfessionBarrister

Dame Justine Thornton

DBE (born 16 September 1970),[1][2] styled The Hon Mrs Justice Thornton, is a British barrister and judge of the High Court of England and Wales.[3]

Thornton was appointed to the

High Court of England and Wales in February 2019, assigned to the Queen's Bench Division.[4] As a lawyer, she specialised in environmental law.[5]

Early life and education

Thornton was born in Manchester to Labour-voting professionals,[1] Margaret and Stewart Thornton.[1][6] Her mother was born in Wales, and her orthopaedic surgeon grandfather, who was based in Ammanford, was a speaker on social affairs.[7] The family moved to Nottingham, where Justine was educated at West Bridgford School.[8]

As a pupil at West Bridgford Comprehensive School, she appeared to be heading for an

acting career. Thornton was a member of the Central Junior Television Workshop at the age of 16.[9] In 1987 she starred as Erica, a rebellious schoolgirl, in "The Visit", the hour-long opening episode of Hardwicke House, an ITV sitcom that was later pulled from the schedules after only two episodes had been transmitted following a backlash over its content.[10]
In 1988, she appeared as "Chrissie" in an episode of the long-running children's programme Dramarama titled "Snap Decision", which was aired in January 1989.[11]

Putting her acting career behind her, Thornton read Law at Robinson College, Cambridge, graduating in 1992. She became a barrister in 1994.[5]

Career

Thornton practised in Environmental Law, latterly at

39 Essex Chambers, before she was appointed a judge.[12] The 2010 edition of Legal 500, the lawyers' directory described her as "first class".[13]

She was appointed an Advisor to the

Welsh Assembly, and in 2009 was shortlisted for Chambers and Partners "Environmental and Planning Junior of the Year".[5]

Thornton has worked on several law-related publications, as

co-author of Sweet and Maxwell's textbook on Environmental law. She also co-authored the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 Law Society Legislation Guides.[5]

She became an Associate Governor of Brookfield Primary School in 2009.[14]

Thornton was appointed Queen's Counsel (QC) in January 2016,[15][16][17] and a Deputy High Court Judge in May 2017.[18]

In January 2019, it was announced Thornton would be appointed a judge of the High Court of England and Wales, with her appointment taking effect on 28 February 2019. She is assigned to the Queen's Bench Division.[3][19] She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2019 upon her appointment to the High Court.

Thornton is an honorary fellow of Robinson College, Cambridge.[20]

Personal life

Thornton is married to former Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband. They met in 2002 and live together at Dartmouth Park in North London.[21][22] The couple were engaged in March 2010,[23][24] and married at Langar Hall near Nottingham on 27 May 2011.[25] They have two sons, born 2009 and 2010.[26]

Thornton was a close friend of Frances Osborne, the wife of former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne, whom she met whilst studying for the Bar in London.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b c d McSmith, Andy (14 March 2015). "Justine Thornton: Mrs Ed Miliband is no ordinary political spouse". The Independent. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  2. ^ Birth registered GRO Volume 10e, page 299, July–Sept 1970
  3. ^ a b "High Court Judge Appointment: Thornton QC". Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  4. ^ "High Court Judges 2018". Judicial Appointments Commission. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d "Chambers Partners – Firms – Justine Thornton". Chambersandpartners.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  6. The Star
    . Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  7. ^ "General Election: Justine Miliband was a political animal long before she met ed". 22 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Ed Miliband to marry Justine Thornton at Langar Hall". Nottingham Post. 31 March 2011. Archived from the original on 3 April 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  9. ^ "Justine Thornton in banned ITV sitcom Hardwicke House (1986)". YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
  10. ^ Stratton, Allegra (26 September 2010). "Ed Miliband's partner Justine Thornton is shy but steely". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  11. IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  12. ^ "Members Profile – 39 Essex Street". 39essex.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  13. ^ Sawer, Patrick (3 October 2010). "Justine Thornton Mrs. Milibands secret history". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  14. ^ "Brookfield Primary School – Who We Are". Camden. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  15. ^ Queen's Counsel appointments 2015 to 2016, Government of the United Kingdom
  16. ^ Williams, Zoe (22 January 2016). "New QCs Justine Thornton and Marina Wheeler: Is the legal profession still sexist?". The Guardian.
  17. ^ Denyer, Charles Ian Paul (26 February 2016). "London Gazette Citation for Justine Thornton's Queen's Counsel Appointment 26 February 2016". The London Gazette. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  18. ^ "High Court Judges 2018". Judicial Appointments Commission. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  19. ^ "Letters patent appointing Dame Justine Thornton as a Justice of the High Court". Crown Office. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  20. ^ Fellows
  21. ^ Brady, Brian; Merrick, Jane (7 June 2009). "Battle for survival at No 10: Mandelson key to defeat of rebels". The Independent on Sunday. London. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  22. ^ "Ed Miliband 'will marry' but politics 'got in the way'". BBC News. 29 September 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  23. ^ "Doncaster MP Ed Miliband to wed". Doncaster Free Press. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  24. ^ Bingham, John (30 March 2011). "Ed Miliband to marry partner Justine Thornton – but no best man". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  25. ^ White, Michael (27 May 2011). "Ed Miliband wedding day – a very private affair". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  26. ^ "Ed Miliband's partner Justine gives birth to second son". BBC News. 8 November 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  27. ^ McSmith, Andy (13 March 2015). "Justine Thornton: Mrs Ed Miliband is no ordinary political spouse". The Independent.

External links

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