Morton Thornton

Morton is a PhD student at Kent Law School. His research interests are analytic jurisprudence and philosophy of language, and his research concerns natural language and legal interpretation. He is supervised by Dr Stephen Pethick and Dr Emma Topham, and is funded by the Kent Alumni Postgraduate Research Scholarship.

Prior to his PhD, Morton completed his BA (Hons) in Law and Philosophy (first class) and his LLM by research at Kent Law School. His master’s thesis, titled ‘Closing In on Open Texture’, was an analysis of the concept of ‘open texture’ as understood in law, comparing its origins in the philosophy of language with its use as a legal concept, with a particular focus on HLA Hart’s discussion of ‘open texture’ in The Concept of Law.

Morton is responsible for teaching across the Foundation Year modules. Alongside this, he does outreach work as a student ambassador, he is Chief Coordinator for the KLS Student Outdoor Clerk Scheme, and is on the Editorial Board of the student-led Kent Law Review. In his free time, he enjoys juggling and magic.  

Morton’s research interests are analytic jurisprudence, philosophy of language, and philosophy of AI; in particular, the work of HLA Hart and the concept of open texture, and the possible impact of AI on legal interpretation.  

LAWS3380 Law and Argument: A Philosophical Perspective (Convenor)

LAWS3370 Introduction to the English Legal System

LAWS3360 Contemporary Issues in Law