photo by: Associated Press

Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert answers questions during an interview with The Associated Press in the court's conference room Friday, Dec. 20, 2019, in Topeka. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Chief Justice Marla Luckert will resign from the office of chief justice on Jan. 2 but will remain as a justice on the Supreme Court until she retires on a date to be announced, according to a news release Friday from the court.

The Kansas Constitution includes a provision that allows Luckert to step back from her duties as chief justice while she continues to serve as justice. She said it is her intent to finish work on cases she heard before mid-October, when she took medical leave following a stroke.

Luckert said her decision to step back as chief justice and ultimately retire from the Supreme Court was made through careful deliberation.

“When I left Goodland to attend college and law school, I never imagined I would serve on the Supreme Court or as chief justice,” she said. “I achieved far more than I imagined I would as a young woman from rural Kansas, and it has been my great honor to serve Kansans as a judge, justice, and chief justice.”

Luckert was the second woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court and the second to serve as chief justice. She said the privilege to engage in work she loves made her decision to step back and ultimately retire more difficult. She added that knowing she leaves the court in good hands made her decision easier.

Justice Eric Rosen, who has served recently as acting chief justice, will formally step into the chief justice role on Jan. 2. The role is reserved for the justice who has the most continuous years of service on the court.