Delaware Supreme Court Justice Jack Jacobs, an iconic intellectual leader of the Delaware judiciary, serving on both Delaware’s High Court and the Court of Chancery for a combined total of nearly 30 years, has announced his retirement from the bench. With the recent appointment of Leo Strine, Jr. as Chief Justice, this is the highest turnover rate in the membership of the five-member court in about a decade.

There will be no shortage of qualified candidates and the Governor is certain to swiftly appoint someone to fill the position, but it can truly be said that no person can take Justice Jacobs’ place. Rather, they can merely hope to serve where he has served. Best wishes to an exemplary jurist on his well-deserved retirement from the bench.