Professor Thornburg taught and wrote in the area of civil procedure. Drawing on her experience with civil rights and commercial litigation, her scholarship focuses on the procedural fairness of the litigation process, especially at the pleadings, discovery, and jury charge stages. She also wrote and spoke in the areas of comparative procedure, judicial ethics, online dispute resolution, and the intersection of law and culture. Professor Thornburg taught Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Complex Litigation, Texas procedure, Remedies, and an advanced procedure seminar.