Ming Chin, the longest-tenured and one of the most conservative members of the California Supreme Court, has announced he will retire at the end of August, giving Gov. Gavin Newsom his first opportunity to shape the court.

Chin, 77, notified the governor’s office of his plans this week and informed his colleagues Wednesday at the court’s weekly conference in San Francisco. Chin was not immediately available for comment, but he said in a statement released by the court that he’s had “the honor and privilege to serve with three very different but spectacular chief justices” during his nearly 24 years as an associate justice.