Verna Thornton was a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Verna Thornton was another one of Olivia's mentors. One of the lessons that we know Verna has told Olivia is "to never ever turn off your cell phone." Olivia was there for Verna to help not only professionally (as a "fixer") but personally as well. Verna was one of Olivia's clients; she was helping her keep her terminal cancer from the public, and Olivia would sit with Verna during her chemotherapy treatments.

Their relationship ended badly; while Verna was on her deathbed, Olivia realized that she ordered the assassination attempt of President Fitzgerald Grant and confronted her. Furious, Olivia realized her decision to use Becky to try and assassinate the President was so that when she died, Verna's name would be spoken "with respect and honour."