The Centre for Military Justice (CMJ) is a charity providing legal advice and assistance to service personnel (or their bereaved families) that have suffered serious sexual harassment, sexual violence, racism or other abuse. It was set up by lawyer, Emma Norton who is the former head of the legal team at the human rights organisation Liberty, where she worked for ten years.
The CMJ acted for three rape survivors in 2021 that successfully challenged the Secretary of State for Defence’s handling of an independent review of the military justice system’s recommendations concerning rape and sexual assault cases; and a Naval veteran who successfully challenged the Ministry of Defence’s exemption from the provisions in the Equality Act that allowed them to discriminate against disabled people.
Emma also acted for the families of three of the young trainees who died at Deepcut barracks in Surrey in 1995; the family of the late Cpl Anne-Marie Ellement who died after reporting rape and bullying in the Army; and Joe Ousalice, the LGBT veteran who successfully challenged the MoD’s refusal to restore his Long Service and Good Conduct medal after he was thrown out of the Navy because of his sexuality.