Edward Alexander Panelli (November 23, 1931 – July 20, 2024) was an American judge who was Associate Justice of the

Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the judiciary of California, courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly ...

, serving from December 24, 1985, to May 3, 1994.

Biography

Panelli was born in

Santa Clara, California Santa Clara ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Clare of Assisi, Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities and towns i ...

on November 23, 1931. He received his B.S. Degree from

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

and J.D. degree from

Santa Clara University School of Law The Santa Clara University School of Law (Santa Clara Law) is the law school of Santa Clara University, a Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States, in the Silicon Valley region. The School of Law was founded in 1911. Santa Cla ...

. After graduation, he engaged in private practice with Pasquinelli & Panelli. In 1972, Panelli was named a judge of the

Santa Clara County Superior Court The Superior Court of California for and in the County of Santa Clara is the state trial court in and for Santa Clara County, California. History San Jose was chosen as the initial site for the state's capitol in 1849, which it held until 185 ...

, serving until 1983. He was appointed as Associate Justice, First District Court of Appeal, Division Four, 1983–1984, and then Presiding Justice, Sixth District Court of Appeal, 1984–1985, when the Sixth District was split off from the First District in 1984. To date, Panelli is the most recent member of California's highest court to have served in a division of the First District other than Division Three. Associate Justices

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, and

Martin Jenkins Martin Joseph Jenkins (born November 12, 1953) is an American attorney and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of California. He was previously a justice of the California Court of Appeal for the First District, located i ...

all served in Division Three of the First District. In 1985, Panelli was appointed to the

California Supreme Court The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sac ...

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

George Deukmejian Courken George Deukmejian Jr. ( ; June 6, 1928May 8, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of California from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, he was the state's first governor of Armenian descent. B ...

. His notable opinions include ''

Moore v. Regents of the University of California ''Moore v. Regents of the University of California'' was a landmark Supreme Court of California decision. Filed on July 9, 1990, it dealt with the issue of property rights to one's own cells taken in samples by doctors or researchers. In 1976, ...

'' (1990), which held that a person's discarded blood and tissue taken for medical tests are not one's personal property, and researchers do not need to share profits from their use in research or commercialization. Another notable case opinion is ''Jolly v. Eli Lilly'' (1988), in which the court held a one-year statute of limitations began running on the date of discovery of the injury. In 1989, Panelli voted with the majority in ''

Thing v. La Chusa ''Thing v. La Chusa'', 48 Cal. 3d 644 (1989), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of California that limited the scope of the tort of negligent infliction of emotional distress. The majority opinion was authored by Associate Justice David E ...

'', and in 1992 concurred in the results in '' Knight v. Jewett'' and ''

Mexicali Rose v. Superior Court Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali metropolitan area is h ...

''. Following his retirement from the bench in 1994, he became an arbitrator and mediator. Panelli died in

Saratoga, California Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Located in Silicon Valley, in the southern Bay Area, it had a population of 31,051 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Saratoga is known for its wineries, restaurant ...

on July 20, 2024, at the age of 92.

Honors and legacy

In 1986, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by his alma mater, Santa Clara University, where he served on the Board of Trustees. There is an annual golf tournament in his name to raise money for law school scholarships.

References

Video

Edward Panelli
videos on C-SPAN.

External links

Edward A. Panelli
California Supreme Court Historical Society.
Supreme Court opinions
written by Edward A. Panelli. Courtlistener.com.

California State Courts.

California Court of Appeal, Sixth District.

California Court of Appeal, First District.

Biography

Honors and legacy

References

Video

External links

See also