Max Baer, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court justice, dies at 74

Max Baer, the Chief Justice of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court, died at age 74. He was months away from his scheduled retirement, his family said. A press release from the court said Baer died overnight at his home near Pittsburg.

The top judicial body of Pennsylvania said that Baer’s “sudden passing” was a “tremendous loss for all of Pennsylvania.” The position will be filled by Justice Debra Todd, news agency Associated Press reported. She is the first female chief justice in the commonwealth’s history, a court spokesperson confirmed.

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“Chief Justice Baer was an influential and intellectual jurist whose unwavering focus was on administering fair and balanced justice,” Todd said in the release. “He was a tireless champion for children, devoted to protecting and providing for our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.”

Governor Tom Wolf ordered state flags at commonwealth facilities, public buildings and grounds lowered to half-staff, saying he was “extremely saddened” by the death of such a “respected and esteemed jurist with decades of service to our courts and our commonwealth.”

Baer, a Duquesne Law graduate, was an Allegheny County family court judge and an administrative judge in family court before he was elected to the high court in 2003 and became its chief justice last year. Baer also served as deputy attorney general for Pennsylvania from 1975 to 1980 and was in private practice before entering the judiciary.

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Earlier this year, Baer was part of the 5-2 majority as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a wide expansion of mail-in voting in Pennsylvania.

Baer was set to retire at the end of 2022 after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. The court said the seat had already been slated to be on the 2023 ballot, and “in the interim, the governor may choose to make an appointment, subject to confirmation by the Senate.” Baer was elected as a Democrat and his death leaves a 4-2 Democratic majority on the high court.