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Jack Panella

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Jack A. Panella
President Judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania
In office
January 3, 2019 (2019-01-03) – January 6, 2024 (2024-01-06)
Preceded bySusan Gantman
Succeeded byAnne E. Lazarus[1]
Judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2004 (2004-01-09)
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County
In office
October 25, 1991 (1991-10-25) – December 31, 2003 (2003-12-31)
Personal details
Born
Jack Anthony Panella[2]

(1955-05-04) May 4, 1955 (age 69)[3]
Brooklyn, New York[4]
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materSt. John's University
Columbus School of Law

Jack Anthony Panella (born May 4, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as a judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.[5] He previously served as the President Judge up until January 6, 2024.[6] He is a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to his election to the Superior Court, he was a Judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, Pennsylvania.

Personal

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Panella attended St. John's University and graduated in 1977 with a B.S. degree in Accounting. He then received his J.D. degree in 1980 from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, where he received the American Jurisprudence award from The Lawyers Co-Operative Publishing Company for the highest academic grade in Contracts.[7]

Following graduation, Panella was a judicial law clerk in the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, Pennsylvania. Following his clerkship, from 1982 to 1991, he maintained his law practice as a sole practitioner.[8][failed verification]

As an assistant county solicitor for Northampton County, he represented the Department of Human Services, including the Children and Youth Services Division, the Mental Health Division, and the Area Agency on Aging.[9] In May 1987, he was the youngest attorney in the history of Northampton County to be selected as the County Solicitor.[10]

In 2002, he was selected to join the United States Army National Guard to visit United States troops in Germany and Bosnia.[11] The trip was a cooperative effort of the 28th Infantry Division with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Committee.

In 2005, Panella received the honor of "Cavaliere" by the Republic of Italy, which is awarded to individuals of Italian descent living abroad who have provided outstanding leadership and service to the positive image of Italy and Italians.[12] On September 27, 2019, Panella received the Outstanding Service Award from the Justinian Society of Philadelphia.[13]

Judicial career

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Panella's election to appellate court in 2003 followed twelve years as a trial judge. He was appointed to the Northampton County Bench in 1991 by Governor Robert P. Casey,[14] and became the second youngest judge in the history of Northampton County. In 1993 he was elected to a full ten-year term commencing January 1, 1994.[15] He presided over civil, criminal and family law cases and was also the Administrative Judge for Asbestos Litigation, which involved complex mass tort litigation.[16]

While a trial judge, he was a member of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges. He was Chair of the Commonwealth Partners Program, where he participated in statewide meetings with other judges and legislators in discussing and resolving issues of mutual concern.[17] In recognition of the success of this program, Panella received the President's Award from the Conference of State Trial Judges in 2002.[8]

He was elected to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania in November 2003, and was sworn into office as an appellate judge on January 9, 2004.[18] He presides over appeals from civil, criminal and family law cases. He served a five-year term as the statewide Administrative Judge for Wiretap & Electronic Surveillance in Pennsylvania.[8]

He was named runner up for the 2003 Politician of the Year by the political website PoliticsPA.[19]

In 2004, he was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to the Commission for Justice Initiatives in Pennsylvania (CJI),[20] 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.[8] As part of his responsibilities for the CJI, Panella conceived and wrote a popular short film on the history and operation of the Pennsylvania Judiciary.[21][22]

On August 26, 1997, Panella was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to be a judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline (CJD),[23] a constitutional court that hears charges filed by the Judicial Conduct Board against judicial officers.[24] In June 2000, he was elected President Judge by his fellow judges. His four-year term expired in August 2001. In 2005, he was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to the Judicial Conduct Board (JCB), which is the investigatory and prosecutorial arm of the judicial discipline system in Pennsylvania.[25] In July 2007, he was elected Chair of the Judicial Conduct Board, making him the only judge in the history of Pennsylvania to be elected both Chair of the JCB as well as President Judge of the CJD.[26] In 2013, Panella became the only judge to be reappointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to the Court of Judicial Discipline. He served a four year term and was again elected the President Judge in 2017.[27][28]

Publications

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Panella has written three books and authored other publications in the judicial and legal fields. Panella's first book, The Pennsylvania Sexual Violence Benchbook, was published in December 2007. The book is a comprehensive reference designed to help judges for the complex criminal issues surrounding sexual violence cases.[29][30] The book has received very favorable reviews.[31]

Panella's second book, The Pennsylvania Sexual Violence BenchBook, Magisterial District Court Edition, was published in 2010. This version of the benchbook was designed to assist Magisterial District Court Judges, and addresses the issues facing MDJ's during the earlier proceedings in prosecution for sexual violence.[32] He was one of the authors of The Pennsylvania Restitution Benchbook, published in 2020 by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.[33]

In recognition of his work in judicial education regarding crimes of sexual violence, Panella received the NSVRC Visionary Voice Award in 2017 by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.[34]

References

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  1. ^ "Judge Anne Lazarus Elected President Judge of Pennsylvania Superior Court" (PDF). January 2, 2024.
  2. ^ "Jack Anthony Panella Judge Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  3. ^ "Personal Data Questionnaire - Jack Panella" (PDF). Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ Finn, Marie T. (September 2008). The American Bench 2009: Judges of the Nation. Forster-Long, LLC. ISBN 9780931398582.
  5. ^ "Who is Judge Jack Panella, and what is retention?". Spotlight PA. November 1, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Philadelphia Bar Association Congratulates Hon. Anne E. Lazarus on Being Named President Judge of Pennsylvania Superior Court - Philadelphia Bar News". philadelphiabar.org. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  7. ^ CUA Lawyer, E-Edition, "Columbus School of Law - The Catholic University of America - Washington, DC | CUA". CUA Lawyer, Spring/Summer 2005, law.cua.edu/Alumni/CUAlawyer/CUALawyer%20SpringSummer%202005.pdf.
  8. ^ a b c d "Judges of the Superior Court". The Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  9. ^ The Express Times, 6-15-1989.
  10. ^ Morning Call, 4-23-1987 & 5-8-1987; The Express-Times, 5-8-1987.
  11. ^ Morning Call, 10-18-02 & 10-30-02; The Express-Times, 10-17-02 & 11-4-02.
  12. ^ "President Judge Jack A. Panella | Superior Court Judges | Superior Court | Courts | Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania".
  13. ^ "Another honor for trailblazing Lehigh Valley jurist". September 25, 2019.
  14. ^ Morning Call, 10-10-1991 & 10-25-1991; The Express Times, 10-11-1991 & 10-25-1991.
  15. ^ Morning Call, 1-4-1994.
  16. ^ Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County Retrieved January 21, 2018
  17. ^ The Judges’ Journal, Summer 2004, Vol. 43 No. 3, American Bar Association.
  18. ^ PA Department of State, Elections Division: "Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information". Archived from the original on September 24, 2006. "Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information". Archived from the original on September 24, 2006.
  19. ^ "Politician of the Year". PoliticsPA. 2003. Archived from the original on December 20, 2003. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
  20. ^ News releasevotesmartpa.org Archived July 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ AOPC Connected Archived March 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Spring 2008.
  22. ^ "Judicial Branch". akamai.com. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  23. ^ "BIOGRAPHY OF PAST PRESIDENT JUDGE JACK A. PANELLA - COURT OF JUDICIAL DISCIPLINE". July 11, 2002. Archived from the original on July 11, 2002. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  24. ^ "COURT OF JUDICIAL DISCIPLINE - COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA". December 18, 2000. Archived from the original on December 18, 2000. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  25. ^ Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania, "Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania | Committed to excellence, and dedicated to the independence and integrity of the judiciaryJudicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania | Committed to excellence, and dedicated to the independence and integrity of the judiciary".
  26. ^ "Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania" (PDF) (Press release). October 11, 2007.[permanent dead link‍]
  27. ^ "President Judge Jack A. Panella". Historical Society of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. May 4, 1955. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  28. ^ "President Judge Jack A. Panella - Superior Court Judges - Superior Court". Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. June 1, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  29. ^ "AOPC Press Release" (PDF) (Press release). January 9, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 22, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  30. ^ "The State of the Commonwealth's Courts, 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 22, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  31. ^ Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 1-10-08; Scranton Times-Tribune, 1-29-08; The Express Times, 1-14-08; Northampton NOW, 7-7-08, Northampton.edu/news/topstories/Judge+Panella.htm; Jenkinslaw, 2-18-08.
  32. ^ "PCAR, Judge develop first benchbook to guide lower court judges in sex crime cases | Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR)".
  33. ^ The Pennsylvania Restitution Benchbook. Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. 2020.
  34. ^ Deegan, Jim (April 16, 2017). "Pa. judge earns national acclaim in difficult area of the law". Lehigh Valley Live. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
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