New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice Linda Stewart Dalianis will retire April 1, 2018, after nearly four decades as a judge.
Dalianis announced the date Wednesday night in remarks to the Nashua Bar Association, which honored her with a lifetime achievement award.
She is a pioneer on the bench. In 2010, she became the first woman to service as chief justice. She was the first woman to sit on the state’s high court, after being nominated in 2010 by then Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
Her retirement was anticipated. The New Hampshire Constitution requires judges to retire at 70. Her birthday is in October.
“This is a bittersweet time for me,” she said in a statement. Dalianis said she would likely not retire if not for the age requirement.