Jeremy Johnson (judge)
Sir Jeremy Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the King's Bench Division | |
| Assumed office 1 October 2019 | |
| Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 May 1971 |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford |
Sir Jeremy Charles Johnson, known in court as Mr Justice Johnson (born 11 May 1971), is a British barrister and justice of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales.
Early life
[edit]Brought up in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Johnson was educated at Ampleforth College, then at the University of Oxford, where he learnt to fly and graduated BA in maths and philosophy,[1][2] and finally at Middlesex University, where he gained a graduate diploma in law.[2]
Career
[edit]Johnson was called to the bar from the Middle Temple in 1994 and practised in general common law and public law from chambers at 5 Essex Court. Specializing in criminal cases and those involving government departments, he became a member of the Attorney General's Panels for the conduct of civil litigation on behalf of the British government.[2]
In 2009, Johnson was appointed as a Recorder, and in 2011 he was promoted to Queen's Counsel. In 2016 he was authorised to act as a Judge of the High Court of Justice to hear cases in the Queen's Bench Division; in 2018 he was given authority to act also as a judge in the Administrative Court.[3]
In August 2019, with Jennifer Eady QC, Alison Foster QC, Frances Judd QC, Pushpinder Saini QC, and John Cavanagh QC, Johnson was announced as a new Justice of the High Court.[4] In October 2019 his appointment was confirmed as to the Queen's Bench Division,[3] and on 14 November 2019 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.[5]
In April 2020, Johnson was appointed by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir Brian Leveson, as a temporary Judicial Commissioner under the Coronavirus Act 2020.[3] In August 2023, he was appointed as a Commissioner until 2028.[6]
Notable cases
[edit]In 2007, with Robin Tam QC, Johnson represented MI6 and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at the Inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. [7]
In March 2024, sitting in the High Court with Dame Victoria Sharp, Johnson found that Julian Assange had a real prospect of success with his appeal against extradition to the United States on three of the grounds he had argued, but they adjourned the leave to appeal application to give the US government three weeks to give assurances on the three matters.[8] On 20 May, not satisfied with the response from the US, they granted Assange leave to appeal.[9]
In October 2024, sitting at Woolwich Crown Court, Judge Jeremy Johnson sentenced Stephen Yaxley-Lennon to 18 months imprisonment after Yaxley-Lennon pleaded guilty to two counts of Contempt of Court[10] for repeating allegations against a Jamal Hijazi[11] a Syrian immigrant. Stephen had been ordered in a previous court case not to repeat those allegations. Instead Mr. Yaxley-Lennon wrote a documentary called Silenced[12] which contained overwhelming evidence that the allegations were true. There was a massive rally of British citizens[13] in support of Mr. Yaxley-Lennon. Despite this, Judge Jeremy Johnson sentenced Stephen to 18 months in England's notorious Belmarsh prison where he will be locked up in solitary confinement.[14] This is considered a form of torture. Judge Johnson said that he wished he could have sentenced Stephen to 2 years[15] but because Stephen didn't contest the charges British law would not allow him to do so.
Notes
[edit]- ^ The Anpleforth Journal, Spring 1993, p. 104
- ^ a b c "The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson KC", middletemple.org.uk, accessed 26 May 2024
- ^ a b c "Temporary Judicial Commissioners appointed", ipco.org.uk, 21 April 2020, accessed 26 May 2024
- ^ Monidipa Fouzder, "New High Court judges all Oxbridge barristers", Law Gazette, 14 August 2019, accessed 26 May 2024
- ^ "Honours and Awards", The London Gazette, 14 May 2020, Issue 62998, p. 8866
- ^ The London Gazette, Issue 64139, 9 August 2023, p. 15970
- ^ "The Lawyers & Representation" in John Morgan, Diana Inquest: The Untold Story. The final journey - Part 1 (2009), p. 63
- ^ Haroon Siddique, "Julian Assange wins temporary reprieve in case against extradition to US", The Guardian, 26 March 2024, accessed 27 May 2024
- ^ Ben Quinn, "Julian Assange wins right to appeal against extradition to US", The Guardian, 20 May 2024, accessed 26 May 2024
- ^ "UK anti-Islam activist 'Tommy Robinson' jailed for breaching injunction". Reuters. 28 October 2024.
- ^ Casciani, Dominic (22 July 2021). "Tommy Robinson loses Jamal Hijazi libel case". BBC.
- ^ Robinson, Tommy. "Britain's Banned Documentary: Silenced". X.
- ^ Levant, Ezra (26 October 2024). "What I saw today at the Tommy Robinson rally". Rebel News.
- ^ Levant, Ezra (28 October 2024). "Tommy Robinson's fight for free speech lands him in solitary confinement — inside a prison for terrorists". Rebel News.
- ^ Levant, Tommy (28 October 2024). "Tommy Robinson sentenced to 18 months in prison; will serve 9". Rebel News.
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