Judge 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. He then 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. He presided over civil and criminal trials and was also the Administrative Judge for Asbestos Litigation, which involved complex mass tort litigation. 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. In recognition of the success of this program, Judge Panella received the President's Award from the Conference of State Trial Judges in 2002. In his capacity as a trial judge, Judge Panella was also a member of the Judicial Ethics Committee of the Conference. 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. He now 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. He was named runner up for the 2003 Politician of the Year by the political website PoliticsPA. A well-publicized murder trial presided over by Judge Panella, provided the basis for the book Lipstick and Blood, by John Kearney. It is a nonfiction book about the joint murder trial of husband and wife defendants, Michelle Hetzel and Brandon Bloss, who were charged with the murder of Devon Guzman. In 2004, he was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to the , 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 can be viewed on the websites of the and the , or click the 'video' link above. Judge Panella had extensive experience in matters of judicial ethics and discipline. 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 ], a constitutional court that hears charges filed by the Judicial Conduct Board against judicial officers. 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 , which is the investigatory and prosecutorial arm of the judicial discipline system in Pennsylvania. 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. In 2013, Judge Panella became the only judge to be reappointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to the Court of Judicial Discipline. He again served as the President Judge in 2017. Judge Panella's first book, , was published in December 2007. The book is a comprehensive reference designed to help judges for the complex criminal issues surrounding sexual violence cases. The book has received very favorable reviews. The Third Edition of the Benchbook was published in 2015 and is available on the websites of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape. In recognition of his work in judicial education regarding crimes of sexual violence, Judge Panella received the national recognition of the NSVRC Visionary Voice Award in 2017 by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
