Richard Buxton (judge)

Sir Richard Joseph Buxton, PC (born 13 July 1938), is a British judge and former Lord Justice of Appeal.

The Right Honourable Sir Richard Buxton
Lord Justice of Appeal
In office 1997–2008
Justice of the High Court
In office 1994–1997
Personal details
Born	Richard Joseph Buxton

Buxton studied law (BCL, MA) at Exeter College, Oxford,^[1] and was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1969.^[2] He served as Senior Law Fellow at Exeter College until resigning his fellowship in 1972 to practise at the Bar, and continued to teach in Oxford for a period as a “week-ender”.^[3]

He took silk in 1983,^[2] and from 1989 to 1993 served as a Commissioner of the Law Commission.^[4][5]

He was appointed to the High Court of Justice on 11 January 1994, serving in the Queen's Bench Division, and was subsequently appointed to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales on 1 October 1997. He retired on 30 September 2008.^[6]

From 19 May 1991 to 4 November 1996 he was a director of the Blenheim Court Residents Company (Woodstock), and from 20 September 1993 to 7 July 2008 he served as a director of the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales.^[7]

He is an honorary member of the Society of Legal Scholars and an honorary fellow of Exeter College, Oxford.^[8][9]

Legal cases

In April 2011 he ruled on a dispute between the Catholic Church and the parents of Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School. He criticised both parties for failing to resolve the issues between themselves and for bringing a case that was a drain on public resources.^[10] In December 2011 he refused an application for appeal from the Daily Telegraph over a libel case involving Sarah Thornton.^[11]