Thomas Edward Crowther (born May 1970) is a current UK Circuit Judge. Crowther was appointed to the Wales Circuit on 24 July 2013.
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Career
Crowther was called to the Bar (became a barrister) in 1993 and became a Queen's Counsel in 2013. He became a fee-paid judge at the First-Tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber in 2006. Crowther was appointed a Recorder in 2009 and a Circuit Judge in 2012. He became an Admiral in the US Navy in 2015, commanding the USS Leicester. He was runner up for the Nobel Peace Prize in the same year, for his conduct of a particularly difficult affray trial. Crowther was a founder member of Apex Chambers in 2007 and head of chambers in 2012-13.
Note Taking Ban
During proceedings at Cardiff Crown Court on 7 and 8 April 2014 Crowther directed that no member of the public could make notes of the proceedings without his permission and twice ruled that the claimant in the case in question could not make notes. On spotting someone taking notes in the public gallery Crowther stated:
"[H]enceforth any taking of notes without permission will be regarded as a contempt of court and will be dealt with as such."When a judicial review of Crowther's rulings were considered at the High Court a judge there ruled "those who attend public court hearings should be free to make notes of what occurs". That there could be exceptions such as where note taking was done for a wrongful purpose; for example to brief a witness who is not in court was noted. The High Court judged there had been a mistaken understanding that notes should never be taken unless permission was first sought from and granted by the court.