BOSTON—Massachusetts Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, who wrote the state's landmark ruling legalizing gay marriage, has announced she's stepping down.
Marshall said Wednesday she will retire by the end of October to spend more time with her husband, former New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis. The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner who retired in 2001 has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
Marshall, a native of South Africa, was appointed to the bench in 1996, after four years as general counsel and vice president of Harvard University. She became chief justice three years later.
She was criticized as a judicial activist by gay marriage opponents after writing the 4-3 decision that made Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage.
Gov. Deval Patrick will nominate a new justice and chief justice to the Supreme Judicial Court.
