Max Baer, the chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, died aged 79 on Monday at his Pittsburgh home. His death was confirmed by the court in a news release which said that it is a “tremendous loss for the court and all of Pennsylvania.” The court, however, did not specify the cause of his death.

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Who was Max Baer?

Max Baer was born on December 24, 1947, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He completed his B.A. degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1971. Four years later, in 1975, Baer completed a Juris Doctor – the degree that allowed him to become a lawyer, from Duquesne University.

After obtaining his Doctor Juris degree, Baer served as the Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 1975 to 1979.

His first stint as a judge came when he was appointed at Allegheny County family court in 1989. He was retained for his second term in 1999, but it was cut short when an even bigger responsibility fell on the man.

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In 2003, Baer began his first stint as a judge at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after being elected on a Democrat candidature against state Superior Court Judge Joan Oroe Melvin. He has continued to serve on the Supreme Court since then, and his term was slated to end later this year.

His second term as Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice came in 2013 when he was re-elected in a retention election. His term would have continued till 2023, but when Chief Justice Thomas Saylor retired, he was elevated to the position of Chief Justice in 2021.

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His death has cast a shadow of grief on Pennsylvania’s legal community. Debra Todd, who is slated to replace him as the first woman chief justice of Pennsylvania, remembered her predecessor as someone known for “administering fair and balanced justice”.

“He was a tireless champion for children, devoted to protecting and providing for our youngest and most vulnerable citizens,” she told AP.