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Charles Pell Nonpartisan

Running for Superior Court of Orange County Office No. 41

Election history

Appears in 1 prior election.

2026
Ran
See also: Municipal elections in Orange County, California (2026) General election The primary will occur on June 2, 2026.

Where they stand

Issues their published 2026 campaign themes engage with. Click an issue to compare positions across candidates.

Mentions Public safety & criminal justice
…your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Public Safety: As a former federal criminal prosecutor for 20 years, I worked all day every day to serve and p…
Mentions Education
…lly, clearly explaining my rulings. I’m a United States Navy Veteran (Intelligence Officer) and former public-school teacher—experiences that strengthened my discipline, objectivity, and patience. USC Law graduate, bilin…
Full notes (markdown source)

Charles Pell

Office sought: Superior Court of Orange County Office No. 41
Party: Nonpartisan

Background

Biography. Charles Pell served in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Pell earned a high school diploma from Montebello High School. Pell earned a graduate degree from Whittier College in 1996, a graduate degree from the University of Southern California in 2020, and a law degree from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law in 2020. Pell is retired. [1]

Prior offices and election history

2026

See also: Municipal elections in Orange County, California (2026) General election The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary. The candidate list in this election may not be complete. Nonpartisan primary Nonpartisan primary election for Superior Court of Orange County Incumbent Ami Sheth Sagel (Nonpartisan) and Charles Pell (Nonpartisan) are running in the primary for Superior Court of Orange County on June 2, 2026. Candidate Ami Sheth Sagel (Nonpartisan) Charles Pell (Nonpartisan) Incumbents are bolded and underlined . = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2026 — Endorsements

Pell received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here . Reform California The Morning Answer with Jennifer Horn

Issue positions (campaign themes)

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses See also: Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Charles Pell completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Pell’s responses. Expand all | Collapse all Who are you? Tell us about yourself. CHARLES E. PELL Former Federal Criminal Prosecutor For 20 years, I served Orange County as a federal criminal prosecutor—guided by integrity, fairness, and independence. I protected our community by prosecuting violent criminals, child exploitation, public corruption, international money laundering, and those who exploited seniors. Orange County deserves a judge with an even temperament and proven courtroom experience. I bring both, backed by high-stakes jury trials. As your judge, everyone will get a fair hearing. I’ll listen—treating everyone with dignity and respect. I’ll apply the law fairly and impartially, clearly explaining my rulings. I’m a United States Navy Veteran (Intelligence Officer) and former public-school teacher—experiences that strengthened my discipline, objectivity, and patience. USC Law graduate, bilingual in Spanish, with math and economics degrees, I’ll bring judgment and common sense to court. With the FBI and Orange County DA, I prosecuted an Orange County Supervisor for bribery. I also convicted a bank manager who stole $1.2 million from elderly customers, an attorney defrauding struggling homeowners, and COVID relief scammers—recovering millions for victims. California Lawyer honored me as “Attorney of the Year” for convicting 53 defendants in a scheme to steal $250,000,000 from taxpayers. Orange County is home—we’re raising our family here. Vote Charles Pell for Orange County Superior Court Judge, Office No. 41. Pell4Judge.com Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Public Safety: As a former federal criminal prosecutor for 20 years, I worked all day every day to serve and protect Orange County. As a Navy Veteran and former public-school teacher, I have the temperament, maturity, and common sense to be a fair, impartial, and just judge. Experience Matters: During my 20 years as a federal criminal prosecutor, I investigated, charged, and prosecuted most types of cases — from public corruption to complex, international frauds, to elder fraud, to child exploitation. Respect in the courtroom: I believe that judges should show respect to all sides What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Juvenile Justice. I spent more than a decade as a public school teacher in a disadvantaged area, and I learned that helping our children in school is the best way to make sure they succeed. I also volunteered for years as a Reserve Deputy Probation Officer. Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate’s campaign requests it.

Enrichment source: Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Charles_Pell

Sources