The Honorable Douglas H. Ginsburg has announced that he will step down as Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit next month. Succeeding him will be the Honorable David B. Sentelle (for whom I clerked). As Howard Bashman notes, Judge Ginsburg’s term as chief was not due to expire until July. Yet were he to wait until then, Judge Sentelle would be ineligible to become chief because he will be 65. By stepping down slightly early, Ginsburg enables Sentelle to become Chief shortly before his 65th birthday. Judge Sentelle is not eligible for a full seven-year term, however, as he will have to step down by the time he turns 70.