Naomi Ellenbogen

Dame Naomi Lisa Ellenbogen (born 20 March 1970) is a British High Court Judge.

Early life and education Ellenbogen was born in Liverpool, England and educated at King David High School, Liverpool. She graduated from New College, Oxford with a BA degree in Jurisprudence in 1991. Elected a Master of the Bench of Gray's Inn in 2014, she was appointed a Recorder in 2016 and a Deputy High Court Judge in 2017.

Boris Johnson panel In August 2018, Boris Johnson, who was then Foreign Secretary, made comments about Islamic full-face coverings, writing in a newspaper article that women wearing them looked like "letterboxes" and "bank robbers". This led to complaints against Johnson and an investigation to determine whether his remarks breached the Conservative Party code of conduct, and Ellenbogen was appointed to chair an independent panel to decide the matter. She found that Johnson's use of language could be considered provocative but was not contrary to the party rules, which did not "override an individual’s right to freedom of expression". Her decision letter said it would be "unwise to censor excessively the language of party representatives or the use of satire to emphasise a viewpoint, particularly a viewpoint that is not subject to criticism". Consequently, the complaint was not upheld.

High Court appointment On 2 November 2020, Ellenbogen was appointed a judge of the High Court and assigned to the Queen's Bench Division. She received the customary Damehood in the same year.

Other In September 2024, Ellenbogen found that Faud Awale, a convicted double murderer who held a prison officer hostage while serving a life sentence, had his human rights breached under Article 8 of the European Convention - after he was isolated from other inmates.

Personal life In 2008, she married Martyn Barklem (a circuit judge), who has two sons by a previous marriage.