Candidate for
Retention of Judge; Pennsylvania Superior Court

Judge Jack Anthony Panella, Superior Court of Pennsylvania

Judge Jack Panella was elected statewide to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania in November 2003, and sworn into office as an appellate judge on January 9, 2004. He now presides over appeals from civil, criminal and family law cases. Additionally, he was the statewide Administrative Judge for Wiretap & Electronic Surveillance in Pennsylvania from 2004 through 2009.

His election to the appellate court followed twelve years as a trial judge. As a trial judge, Judge Panella presided over civil and criminal trials and was also the Administrative Judge for Asbestos Litigation, which involved complex mass tort litigation.

Following graduation from law school, he was admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1980. After a very competitive selection process, he was appointed as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, which is the state trial court level in Pennsylvania. He served in that capacity until August 1982.

During his years as a practitioner from 1982 to 1991, Judge Panella worked in both a municipal capacity and in private practice. He had a diverse private practice with an emphasis in civil and criminal litigation. His clients included Larry Holmes, the former world's heavyweight boxing champion, and the late Albert Loquasto, a former champion professional race car driver. Judge Panella handled over 100 jury and nonjury trials during this period.

Additionally, Judge Panella worked in municipal law when he was appointed an Assistant County Solicitor for Northampton County in 1982, a position he held until he was appointed County Solicitor in May 1987. Judge Panella was the youngest attorney in Northampton County history to be appointed County Solicitor. As County Solicitor, he managed an office of six additional attorneys and two legal secretaries.

Judge Panella maintained his private practice until his appointment to the Northampton County Bench in 1991 by Governor Robert P. Casey; he then became the second youngest judge in the history of Northampton County.

In 2004, Judge Panella was appointed by the Chief Justice of Pennsylvania to the Commission for Justice Initiatives in Pennsylvania (CJI), a committee organized to coordinate and recommend judicial outreach and specialized court programs. He was the Chair of the Public Education and Community Outreach subcommittee of the Commission. As part of his responsibilities for the CJI, Judge Panella conceived and wrote a popular short film on the history and operation of the Pennsylvania Judiciary. The film has been used as an educational tool in classrooms around the state, and can be viewed on the websites of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Judge Panella also did extensive work concerning the treatment of self-represented litigants and revisions for the state judicial website.

While a trial judge, Judge Panella was a member of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges. He was Chair of the Commonwealth Partners Program, which involves statewide meetings attended by judges and legislators to discuss and resolve issues of mutual concern. In recognition of the success of this program, he was given the President's Award from the Conference of State Trial Judges in 2002. In his capacity as a trial judge, he was also a member of the Judicial Ethics Committee of the Conference.

In 2002, Judge Panella was selected to join the United States Army National Guard to visit troops from Pennsylvania in Germany and Bosnia. The trip was a cooperative effort of the 28th Infantry Division and the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Committee.

Judge Panella also has extensive experience in judicial ethics and discipline. In 1997, he was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to be a judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline (CJD). In June 2000, he was elected President Judge by his fellow judges. The Court of Judicial Discipline is a constitutional court, which hears charges filed by the Judicial Conduct Board against judicial officers. The Judicial Conduct Board is the investigatory and prosecutorial arm of judicial discipline in Pennsylvania. His four-year term on the CJD expired in August 2001. He was then appointed by the Supreme Court to the Judicial Conduct Board, and was eventually elected Chair of the Board. Judge Panella was the first judge in the history of Pennsylvania to have been both the President Judge of the Court of Judicial Discipline and Chair of the Judicial Conduct Board. In September 2013, he was reappointed by the Supreme Court to the Court of Judicial Discipline, making him the only judge in the history of Pennsylvania to serve two terms on this important tribunal.

Judge Panella's first book, THE PENNSYLVANIA SEXUAL VIOLENCE BENCHBOOK was published in December 2007. The book provides judges with a comprehensive understanding of Pennsylvania's current sexual offense laws, and is a valuable resource for judges overseeing cases dealing with sexual crimes, violence and abuse. The book has received widespread acclaim from the legal and judicial communities. His second book, which is a version of the sexual violence benchbook designed for the Magisterial District Court judges, was published in March 2011.

Judge Panella is a member of the American, Federal, Pennsylvania, and Northampton County Bar Associations as well as the American Judges Association. He is a member of the American Inns of Court. He has been teaching criminal law, criminal procedure, and constitutional law, for about fifteen years.