Before the California Supreme Court began its first oral argument session of 2025, the court honored former Justice Edward A. Panelli, who passed away in July at age 92.

Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero expressed her appreciation for Justice Panelli, who served "with great honor and integrity" on the court from 1985 to 1994. 

"His unwavering commitment to justice and fairness has earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues and the broader legal community," Chief Justice Guerrero said.

The special program also included remembrances from retired California Supreme Court Justice Kathryn Werdegar, who worked as a staff attorney for Justice Panelli before her appointment to the bench; David Miller, a Supreme Court attorney who clerked for Justice Panelli; and Lisa Kloppenberg, dean emerita and professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law.

Werdegar said Justice Panelli was an "intellect and a scholar" who graduated in the top of his class as both an undergraduate and a law student.

But Justice Panelli’s legal work reflected his down-to-earth nature, characterized by "a sense of the real world and people who live and work there—their humanity," Werdegar said.

Miller recalled Justice Panelli’s ability to swiftly get to the heart of a legal issue was so immediate, it felt as though he were “engaged in a match of lightning chess.”

Professor Kloppenberg described Justice Panelli’s upbringing as the child of Italian immigrant farmworkers. Noting that he knew little English as a child growing up in Santa Clara County, she explained how that background drove his commitment to establishing scholarships and mentoring low-income and first-generation students and helping them find opportunities in the law.

"Justice Panelli was a light for others," Kloppenberg said. "Through his brilliant mind, hard work and caring heart, he helped many students attain their educational goals and forge careers to help them and their families find their own American dreams.”