Jeremy Johnson (judge)

The Right Honourable Sir Jeremy Johnson KC
Justice of the King's Bench Division
Incumbent
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

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, and finally at Middlesex University, where he gained a graduate diploma in law.

Career

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.

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.

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. In October 2019 his appointment was confirmed as to the Queen's Bench Division, and on 14 November 2019 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

In April 2020, Johnson was appointed by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir Brian Leveson, as a temporary Judicial Commissioner under the Coronavirus Act 2020. In August 2023, he was appointed as a Commissioner until 2028.

Notable cases

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.

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. On 20 May, not satisfied with the response from the US, they granted Assange leave to appeal.

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 for repeating allegations against a Jamal Hijazi a Syrian immigrant.