INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Ezra Friedlander has informed Gov. Mike Pence he plans to retire on Aug. 31 after more than 22 years on the bench and just shy of the mandatory retirement age of 75.

Friedlander said he is submitting his resignation now to give Pence and the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission adequate time to find a replacement. Friedlander was appointed by Gov. Evan Bayh and joined the Court of Appeals in January 1993. He was retained by election in 1996 and 2006. 

He has written 3,000 majority opinions and has been involved in more than 6,000 other opinions.  He also served as co-chairman of a state commission that in 2003 found evidence of unfair treatment of women and minorities in Indiana's criminal justice system.