Justice Nora Manella retires from 2nd District Court of Appeal

Presiding Justice Nora M. Manella retired on Jan. 31 from the 2nd District of Appeal, Division 4, bringing a quiet end to a glittering legal career that included being the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California and a U.S. District Court judge.

"It's been 33 years since I first put on a black robe," she said Thursday. "I never wanted to die with my black robe on.

Manella, who once joked that she aspired early in life to be a dilettante, said she has a full schedule of planned pursuits. She said she plans to regain her fluency in Italian, practice ballet and travel "in a less rushed and sporadic fashion," starting with a trip to South America later this year.

Manella said she began thinking about leaving the court during the pandemic. "The post-pandemic workplace is not what the pre-pandemic workplace was," she said.

She said she missed having the impromptu discussions that come with working in an office together with colleagues. "That energy that comes from being around your colleagues wasn't there and I don't think it's coming back," she said.

But she offered that there are benefits to remote oral arguments.

"I'm a little hard pressed to tell any litigant you have to schlep downtown and argue in front of us," she said.

Like many people, Manella said the pandemic and its aftermath prompted her to think about how she wanted to spend her time while she is healthy. She said she had no interest in a career in dispute resolution. "My skills are primarily in bossing people around, not bringing people together," she quipped.

Manella grew up in the Los Angeles legal community, the daughter of tax attorney Arthur Manella, a founder of Irell & Manella. She clerked for the famed Judge John Minor Wisdom on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. She has been a federal prosecutor, Los Angeles Municipal Court judge and a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. In 1995, President Bill Clinton named her U.S. attorney for the sprawling Central District. In 1998, Clinton nominated her to the district court.

A detail-oriented workaholic, Manella was drawn to appellate work. In 2006, she resigned from the federal trial court and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger named her to the 2nd District court

Manella said her next chapter won't just be idle pursuits. She said she would like to do some public service work and mentor young people, which she called "the most rewarding thing you can do."

"I don't intend to sit on a chaise lounge eating bonbons," she said. "I have things to do."