statewide meetings with other judges and legislators in discussing and resolving issues of mutual concern. In recognition of the success of this program, Panella received the President's Award from the Conference of State Trial Judges in 2002. 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 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. In 2004, he was appointed by the Supreme Court 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, Panella conceived and wrote a popular short film on the history and operation of the Pennsylvania Judiciary. 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), 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 Judicial Conduct Board (JCB), 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, 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. Publications 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. The book has received very favorable reviews. Panella's