The Historical Society of the U. S. Courts in the Eleventh Circuit 11th Circuit Historical News Volume XVI, Number 3 https://sites.google.com/site/circuit11history Winter 2019 Charles A. Pannell, Jr.: a profile By Marti A. Minor On Dec. 1, 2019, Judge Charles A. Charles A. Pannell, Sr., of the Georgia Pannell, Jr. marked his 20th year on Court of Appeals, who told his son the District Court for the Northern that being a judge is really quite District of Georgia. Before joining easy: “You just follow the law.” Of the federal bench, Pannell served course, he undoubtedly knew “the more than 20 years as a superior law” is often murky at best. But over court judge in Georgia’s Conasauga the last 40 years, his son has taken Judicial Circuit, which includes this brilliantly simple instruction Whitfield and Murray counties. from his father and combined it These four decades of public with his own common sense and service have included thousands of keen instinct for fairness to become written opinions, countless hours in a well-known and highly respected open court, instructions to legions trial judge in the state of Georgia. of jurors, and, most importantly, Pannell was born in Georgia, grew decisions, decisions, decisions. The up on a farm in Georgia, attended hallmark of any respected jurist is, public schools in Georgia and after all, well-reasoned decision- graduated from the University of making. For 40 years, Judge Pannell Georgia — undergraduate and law has fulfilled his responsibility to make school. His ancestors fought in the judicial decisions in a deliberate, For more than 40 years, Judge Charles A. Revolutionary War. Members of one straightforward manner, and without Pannell, Jr. has followed a judicial philosophy of branch of the family were prominent undue delay. common sense and fairness. at the Battle of Kings Mountain. “The court is a dispute resolution His wife, Kate Williams Pannell, is mechanism,” the judge frequently a member of old Georgia families reminds his law clerks. “It’s not my as well. One of her ancestors who role to tell the parties and their lawyers how to argue and fought in the Revolutionary War is buried on the Kettle try their cases; I am here to address the issues they present Creek battlefield in Wilkes County, Georgia. and move matters along to a disposition.” In doing so, Judge Pannell is guided by the advice of his father, Judge See “Pannell,” page 33 About the author: Marti A. Minor has served as Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr.’s career law clerk for 15 years. She earned a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1995. Before joining the Pannell chambers, she worked in the staff attorney’s office for the district court. Minor says: “Judge Pannell treats his staff like family. It has been my good fortune to work for him all these years. I was honored to be asked to write this profile in recognition of his decades of public service.” About the photographs: All photos were provided by the Pannell family. Historical News is produced as a courtesy by The Florida Bar. Meet the Trustees Celia J. Collins The Society’s mission includes District of Alabama, during which a focus not just on the Eleventh most of my time was spent assisting Circuit Court of Appeals but also on the attorneys with researching and all of the federal courts in Alabama, writing Fifth Circuit appellate briefs. Georgia and Florida. Please tell us a Their offices were then located in little about your background, with a the old Middle District courthouse in special focus on your connection to Montgomery. The office had one of the federal courts in those states. the first electronic research platforms, I practice labor and employment JURIS, which preceded the ready law with Johnstone Adams in Mobile, availability of Westlaw and Lexis and, Alabama, and currently spend most as I recall, focused on federal law. of my court time in the beautiful new The case that stands out in my mind courthouse of the Southern District of from those days was the appeal by a Alabama. convicted bank robber who performed his heist of the drive-through of a local I actually began my federal court bank while riding his bicycle. experience before the Eleventh Circuit existed. In 1979, while in law school, I I began practicing with Johnstone spent my second summer clerking for Adams in Mobile in 1980 after Celia J. Collins the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle continued, next page Editor's note This is the first installment of our series “Meet the trustees.” It is our pleasure to introduce to you our newest Alabama trustees, Celia J. Collins and William G. “Will” Parker, Jr. William G. 'Will' Parker, Jr. The Society’s mission includes computer when it came time to put a focus not just on the Eleventh the finishing touches on a published Circuit Court of Appeals but also on opinion. Watching him search for all of the federal courts in Alabama, the right metaphor, the right turn of Georgia and Florida. Please tell us a phrase — the right word, even — was little about your background, with a a thrilling experience. And it impressed special focus on your connection to upon me just how important it is the federal courts in those states. to pay attention to each detail that I serve as chief deputy general will affect the reader’s perception. counsel to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. But Of course, I will also remember the before this current role, I had two jobs disappointment that he felt — and that brought me into close contact that he conveyed to his law clerks! with the Eleventh Circuit and all three — when one of his fellow judges federal district courts in Alabama. reviewed a draft opinion and caught a typo or an erroneous citation. That First was a one-year clerkship was a decidedly less-than-thrilling following law school with now Chief experience, but it had the same effect Judge Ed Carnes. This was a formative on me as a young lawyer. experience for me due to Judge William G. 'Will' Parker, Jr. Carnes’ love for the law and his constant My other main federal-court pursuit of excellence. I will always remember sitting next to him at his See Parker, page 4 2 Collins, from page 2 graduating from Vanderbilt Law School. Because of that expertise, I became involved in many of the federal my interest in civil rights, labor and employment law, cases in my firm, including civil RICO and diversity cases as upon entering my practice with Johnstone Adams I was well as continuing with labor, employment and civil rights assigned to work on numerous federal court matters. defense. My first experience as lead counsel in any trial was early In the second decade of my practice, the world of labor in my career, defending a nonjury Title VII case before and employment law expanded with the enactment of the Judge Brevard Hand under the careful watch of a senior Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical partner. My first federal court jury trial was serving as Leave Act and the amendments to Title VII allowing jury second chair with a senior partner in an antitrust case tried trials and punitive damages. From that point to present, before Judge Virgil Pittman. I think we obtained one of my practice has been primarily in labor and employment the few antitrust defense verdicts in the state of Alabama. cases in federal court. I have tried cases in all of the “old” Both judges were extremely kind and very patient to a as well as the “new” courthouses in the Northern District young lawyer. of Alabama, Middle District of Alabama and the Southern A few years later, I was appointed to serve as a bar District of Alabama. examiner for the Alabama State Bar on Federal Procedure, which required me to carefully study all of the federal rules in order to craft a fair bar exam question. Because of continued, next page SHARE YOUR NEWS! Charles F. Wilson Submit items for publication in the 11th Circuit(Photo Historical from a private News collection) to Wanda Lamar, executive director of the Society. (email: wanda_lamar @ca11.uscourts.gov). Historical articles on the federal courts and judges within the Eleventh Circuit will be considered, as well as investitures, courthouse dedications, portrait presentations, memorial ceremonies and oral history programs. IN THIS ISSUE: Charles A. Pannell, Jr.: a profile ............................................................... 1 Meet the Trustees: Celia J. Collins and William G. 'Will' Parker, Jr. ...................................................................... 2 Investiture: Judge Andrew L. Brasher ................................................... 6 Investiture: Judge Roy K. Altman ........................................................... 8 Investiture: Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II ................................................... 11 Judge Frank Johnson and school desegregation .......................... 15 Robert S. Vance Luncheon ...................................................................... 19 The Hon. Raymond B. Ray retires ......................................................... 22 2019 High School Essay Contest .......................................................... 24 An interview with Marshall-Tuttle Award honoree Norman E. Zoller .................................................................................... 28 10 years of Miami Law Review’s Eleventh Circuit Issue ................ 31 3 Collins, continued This publication often covers “milestone” events throughout our circuit to support the Society and its — the investiture of a new judge, the dedication of a work? new courthouse, and so on. But there is also value in I became familiar with the Eleventh Circuit Historical preserving the social history of our circuit, that is, the Society through my partner, Ben H. Harris, Jr., who was a day-to-day business of our courts. Do you have any trustee for many years and eventually served as president memorable stories from your own background, or of the organization.