Norton was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Louth. He graduated from the University of Sheffield with the degree of Bachelor of Arts and later as a Doctor of Philosophy, and from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master of Arts.
He has been described as "the United Kingdom"s greatest living expert on Parliament" and "a world authority on constitutional issues". Norton is a Professor of Government in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull, and was head of the Department from 2002 to 2007. Since 1992 he has been the Director of the Centre for Legislative Studies.
He was created a life peer with the title Baron Norton of Louth, of Louth in the County of Lincolnshire on 1 August 1998.
In 2000 he chaired a commission for Leader of the Opposition William Hague to design ideas for the strengthening of the institution of Parliament, and from 2001 to 2004 he served as the chairman of the House of Lords Constitution Committee. In 2007 The Daily Telegraph named him the 59th most influential person on the right of British politics.
The Guardian has described him as "a new star of the blogosphere." He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Currently for example, Norton is serving as co-chair of the Committee on Higher and continuing work with the Campaign for an Effective Second Chamber.
Lord Norton has a Quiz on the Lords of the Blog and also often has Caption Competitions on his personal blog.
Lord Norton also has a personal blog in which he often cites some of the many evolving responsibilities he undertakes in political and academic circles. The Norton View attracts some readership from around the world.
Norton has been a member of the Hansard Society advisory council since 1997 and became Director of Studies in 2002. Norton is a regular contributor to Lords of the Blog, a collaborative blog by members of the House of Lords for the purposes of public engagement.
