John Thomas, Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd

Roger John Laugharne Thomas, Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd, PC (born Carmarthen, 22 October 1947) is a British judge. He served as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2013 to 2017.[1]

The Right Honourable The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd PC
Thomas in 2019
Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
In office 1 October 2013 – 1 October 2017
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	The Lord Judge
Succeeded by	The Lord Burnett of Maldon
President of the Queen's Bench Division
In office 3 October 2011 – 1 October 2013
Deputy	Dame Heather Hallett
Preceded by	Sir Anthony May
Succeeded by	Sir Brian Leveson
Lord Justice of Appeal
In office 14 July 2003 – 3 October 2011
Personal details
Born	22 October 1947 Wales, United Kingdom
Alma mater	Trinity Hall, Cambridge University of Chicago

Early life and education

Thomas was born in 1947 to Roger Edward Laugharne Thomas and his wife Dinah Agnes Thomas, of Cwmgiedd.[2]

Thomas was educated at Rugby School[2] and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in Law in 1966.[2] He was elected a Fellow of Trinity Hall in 2004.[2] He proceeded to the University of Chicago where he earned a J.D. degree and was a Commonwealth Fellow.[2]

Thomas was an assistant teacher at Mayo College, Ajmer, India, from 1965 to 1966.[2]

Legal career

Thomas was called to the Bar in 1969 (Gray's Inn). He was elected a Bencher in 1992. He commenced practice in 1972, became a Queen's Counsel in 1984 and was appointed a Recorder in 1987.[1] He practiced as a member of the commercial chambers at 4 Essex Court in the Temple, which in 1994 moved to Lincoln's Inn Fields and has since then been known as Essex Court Chambers.

In 1992 he was appointed by the Department of Trade and Industry as an Inspector into the affairs of Mirror Group Newspapers plc (when it was owned by Robert Maxwell) and its IPO.[2]

On 11 January 1996, he was appointed a High Court judge,[3] receiving the customary knighthood,[4] and was assigned to the Queen's Bench Division, serving on the Commercial Court until his appointment to the Court of Appeal. From 1998 to 2001 he was a Presiding Judge of the Wales and Chester Circuit. On 14 July 2003, Thomas became a Lord Justice of Appeal[5] and given the customary appointment to the Privy Council later that year. He served as the Senior Presiding Judge from 2003 to 2006, and President of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary from 2008 to 2010, having participated in its founding in 2003–2004.[1]

In October 2008, Thomas was appointed Vice-President of the Queen's Bench Division and Deputy Head of Criminal Justice.[6] On 3 October 2011, he succeeded Sir Anthony May as President of the Queen's Bench Division.[7]

Russian Money laundering Allegations

While Thomas was leading the Queen's Bench Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska settled a $1 billion lawsuit with plaintiff Michael Cherney.[8] Subsequently, the role of the British Judiciary in the laundering of money between Russian oligarchs and the businesses has come under scrutiny. [9] Thomas would later go to serve as the most senior judge in the Gina Miller Brexit Judicial Review.

Promotion to Lord Chief Justice

On 1 October 2013, Thomas was appointed to succeed Lord Judge as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.[10] On 26 September 2013, it was announced Thomas would become a life peer upon taking office as Lord Chief Justice.[11] He was created a Life Peer on 4 October 2013, taking the title Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd, of Cwmgiedd in the County of Powys.[12] Following his introduction, as a serving member of the judiciary he was immediately disqualified from sitting in the House of Lords under section 137(3) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.

The Gina Miller Judicial Review for Brexit

In October 2016 Thomas was one of the three judges forming the divisional court of the High Court in proceedings concerning the use of the royal prerogative for the issue of notification in accordance with Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (the Lisbon Treaty) (R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union). His role in this judgment meant that he appeared in an infamous front-cover of the Daily Mail (Enemies of the People). Allegations were made to the other two judges, Justice Sales and Justice Etheron, two weeks before the judicial review, that Jeremey Wright, defence counsel for the government, had closed SFO investigation #9559,[13] instigated by Jon Thompson of HMRC, to have Deutsche Bank investigated for money laundering. At the same time the judges were shown a paper trail that alleged Thomas obstructed lawsuit B4BM021 that would have exposed Deutsche Bank for laundering bullion for the Russian Mafia. The allegations came before the Danske-Estonia operation became public news, in which DB were a key correspondent bank. DB would later go on to pay fines to the NY DFS for its role laundering money for the Russian Mafia. [14]

He retired as Lord Chief Justice in October 2017 and was succeeded by Ian Burnett, Baron Burnett of Maldon.[15]

Other affiliations

Thomas is one of the Founding Members of the European Law Institute, a non-profit organisation that conducts research, makes recommendations and provides practical guidance in the field of European legal development. He is a member of its Executive Committee.

He returned to Essex Court Chambers in November 2017 and joined the Arbitrators at 24 Lincoln's Inn Fields. He was a founder of the AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Society in 1991 and is its president.

His disqualification from sitting in the House of Lords ceased on his retirement as Lord Chief Justice, he is a member of the EU Financial Affairs Sub-Committee and chaired the Middle Level Bill Committee in 2018.

He is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge and a Fellow of the Universities of Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Swansea and Bangor and an Honorary Doctor of Law of the Universities of South Wales, the West of England, Wales and of Cardiff Metropolitan University. He is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.

He has been Chancellor of Aberystwyth University since January 2018.[16]

He was appointed by the Government of Wales in September 2017 to chair a Commission on Justice in Wales.[17] The other Commissioners were appointed in November 2017. The commission has wide terms of reference.[18][19][20]

He was appointed Chairman of the Financial Markets Law Committee in November 2017.

Personal life

In 1973, he married Elizabeth Ann Buchanan, daughter of S J Buchanan of Ohio, US.[2] They have one son and one daughter.[2]

He lists his recreations in Who's Who as gardens, walking and travel.[2]

Arms

Coat of arms of John Thomas, Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd

Crest Upon a Helm with a Wreath Argent and Vert On a Mount Vert growing therefrom Scarlet Carnations flowering proper a Dragon passant Gules grasping in its dexter foreclaws a Caduceus Or. Escutcheon Argent a Pale Azure between two Swords palewise points upwards proper hilts and pommels Vert each surrounded by a Chevron Gules. Supporters Dexter a Red Kite Sinister A Cardinal both proper. Motto Llifed Cyfiawnder Fel Afon Gref (In English: Let justice flow like a strong river).

See also

• List of Lords Justices of Appeal

References

1. "Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales – The Rt Hon Lord Thomas". Judiciary of England and Wales. Archived from the original on 14 December 2012.
2. "Rt Hon Sir (Roger) John Laugharne Thomas, of Cwmgiedd.". Who's Who. A & C Black. 2013.
3. "No. 54291". The London Gazette. 17 January 1996. p. 747.
4. "No. 54407". The London Gazette. 24 May 1996. p. 7221.
5. "No. 57004". The London Gazette. 18 July 2003. p. 8986.
6. Rozenberg, Joshua (12 October 2012). "A Who's Hughes of the number twos". The Telegraph.
7. "No. 59931". The London Gazette. 6 October 2011. p. 19091.
8. "Deripaska and Cherney make surprise deal out of court".
9. Foxall, Andrew. https://henryjacksonsociety.org/publications/russian-kleptocracy-and-the-rule-of-law-how-the-kremlin-undermines-european-judicial-systems/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
10. "Appointment of the Lord Chief Justice" (Press release). Gov.uk. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
11. "Peerage for the new Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales". Gov.uk. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
12. "No. 60649". The London Gazette. 7 October 2013. p. 19679.
13. ["https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/does_the_attorney_general_know_i" "https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/does_the_attorney_general_know_i"] Check |url= value (help). Missing or empty |title= (help)
14. https://www.dfs.ny.gov/reports_and_publications/press_releases/pr202007071 Missing or empty |title= (help)
15. "Appointment of new Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales". 14 July 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
16. "Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd appointed University Chancellor". Aberystwyth University. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
17. http://gov.wales/newsroom/firstminister/2017/170918-first-minister-establishes-commission-on-justice-in-wales/?lang=en
18. https://www.europeanlawinstitute.eu/about-the-eli/bodies/executive-committee/
19. https://beta.gov.wales/commission-justice-wales
20. http://fmlc.org/about-the-fmlc/fmlc-committee-members/

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