Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justice Jeffrey Hjelm is retiring after 27 years as a judge.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Friday described Hjelm as a "careful, quiet thinker who is committed to the principle of law and the administration of justice."
Hjelm served as a district judge and Superior Court justice before joining the Supreme Judicial Court om 2014. Before that, he worked for the attorney general's office and for a Bangor law firm.
Mills said her advisory committee on judicial nominations will begin next month reviewing candidates to succeed Hjelm on the Supreme Judicial Court.