Oregon Supreme Court Justice Rives Kistler said he’ll retire from the state’s high court at the end of the year.
He has served on the Oregon Supreme Court since 2003. Before that he spent four years as a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals.
“I hope that, in my time as a judge, I have contributed to the development of the law by providing reasoned, practical and understandable opinions consistent with the limited role of the courts in our system of government,” Kistler said in a statement.
Kistler said the state’s courts have a direct impact on the lives of all Oregonians and he is grateful for the privilege of working with his fellow justices, as well as lawyers who argued before the court.
Kistler is the first openly LGBTQ state Supreme Court Justice in the country.
His retirement gives Gov. Kate Brown the opportunity to appoint a replacement.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters said she would miss Kistler's laugh, friendship, and nuanced analysis.
“Justice Kistler is a brilliant thinker who cares deeply about the law and the people it affects,” she said in a statement.
Kistler’s last day will be Dec. 31.
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