Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye will not stand for retention in November’s general election, ending a historic tenure of almost 12 years as leader of California’s judicial branch.

The Sacramento native and first Asian American chief justice publicly announced her decision in a call with reporters after her regular Wednesday conference with Supreme Court colleagues. With a retention-election filing deadline just weeks away, speculation about the chief justice’s plans had been swirling in legal circles, fueled by her insistence in recent months that she was still thinking about her options.