Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Saylor has announced that he will transfer leadership of the state’s highest court to Justice Max Baer on April 1, while remaining on the court as a justice until his retirement at the end of the year.

Saylor stated his intentions in a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf dated March 1. The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts emphasized that the move was an effort to “ensure an orderly transition,” but did not elaborate further in its official statement.