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President Judge Emeritus Jack A. Panella
Judge Jack A. Panella was elected 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. He is also the statewide Administrative Judge for Wiretap & Electronic Surveillance in Pennsylvania. His election to the appellate court followed twelve years as a trial judge in Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County. He presided over civil and criminal trials and specialized in complex mass tort litigation. Prior to his service on the bench, Judge Panella was engaged in the private practice of law and also served as Northampton County Solicitor. His first book, The Pennsylvania Sexual Violence Benchbook, was published in December 2007. In 2004, he was appointed by the Supreme Court to serve on the Commission for Justice Initiatives in Pennsylvania (CJI). He currently chairs the Public Education and Community Outreach subcommittee of the Commission. As part of his responsibilities for CJI, Judge Panella conceived and wrote a popular short film on the history and operation of the Pennsylvania Judiciary. While a trial judge, he was Chair of the Commonwealth Partners Program for the Conference of State Trial Judges. In recognition of the success of this program, he was given the President's Award from the Conference in 2002. He also served on the Judicial Ethics Committee of the Conference. On August 26, 1997, Judge Panella was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to be a judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline. In June 2000, he was elected President Judge. In 2005, he was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to the Judicial Conduct Board; he was elected Chair of the Board in 2007. Judge Panella's chambers are in Bethlehem. All Current and Past Judges of the Court
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