Panel in the United States

A group of judges who decide a case. Panels of judges are usually found on intermediate appeals courts such as the U.S. court of appeals. Cases at this level are normally heard by panels of three judges rather than by all the judges of the court. U.S. court of appeals panels occasionally include district judges from the circuit or retired federal judges. Membership of a panel varies from case to case. A number of possible combinations can occur when composing three-judge panels from a pool of twelve or fifteen judges. Panels may be assigned by the chief judge of the court, but such a procedure may lead to charges that assignments are designed to influence outcomes. To avoid such criticism, many of the courts that use panels select them randomly. The term panel is also used to refer to a list of people summoned for jury service.

See Also

En Banc (Apellate Judicial Process) Group Processes (Apellate Judicial Process) Intermediate Appellate Court (Apellate Judicial Process); UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS,

Analysis and Relevance

The use of three-judge panels conserves judicial resources. It allows cases to be reviewed simultaneously and yet receive full consideration on the merits. Intermediate appellate courts that utilize the panel approach may choose to have the court’s full membership hear a case, or sit en banc. This is unusual. Courts of last resort, on the other hand, typically hear cases en banc rather than by panels. Even with three judges, however, the panel approach opens the appellate process to the dynamics of group decision making. Which party wins and what is to be said in the opinion will almost invariably be affected by this shared decision-making responsibility. One other consequence of using panels is that outcomes in cases are products of the composition of the specific panel. A particular panel may not necessarily reflect the thinking of a majority of judges of the full court. This is especially true of the U.S. court of appeals where, as with all federal judges, the judges enjoy life tenure, which enhances the probability of ideological diversity.

Notes and References

1. Definition of Panel from the American Law Dictionary, 1991, California

Panel Definition

(diminutive from either pane, apart, or page, pagella). In Practice. A schedule or roll, containing the names of jurors summoned by virtue of a writ of venire facias, and annexed to the writ. It is returned into the court whence the venire issued. Co. Litt. 158b; 3 Bl. Comm. 353. In Scotch Law. The prisoner at the bar, or person who takes his trial before the court of justiciary for some crime. So called from the time of his appearance. Bell, Diet. Spelled, also, pannel. See “Impanel.”

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(diminutive from either pane, apart, or page, pagella). In Practice. A schedule or roll, containing the names of jurors summoned by virtue of a writ of venire facias, and annexed to the writ. It is returned into the court whence the venire issued. Co. Litt. 158b; 3 Bl. Comm. 353. In Scotch Law. The prisoner at the bar, or person who takes his trial before the court of justiciary for some crime. So called from the time of his appearance. Bell, Diet. Spelled, also, pannel. See “Impanel.”

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This definition of Panel Is based on the The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary . This definition needs to be proofread..

Panel Definition in the context of the Federal Court System

In appellate cases, a group of judges (usually three) assigned to decide the case. (2) In the jury selection process, the group of potential jurors. (3) The list of attorneys who are both available and qualified to serve as court-appointed counsel for criminal defendants who cannot afford their own counsel.