COEUR d'ALENE - U.S. District Court Judge Edward Lodge announced Wednesday he plans to leave active service on the bench next year.

Lodge, who was nominated by former President George H.W. Bush, became a U.S. District Court judge for Idaho on Nov. 27, 1989.

Lodge will enter what is called "senior status" on July 3, 2015.

Elizabeth A. Smith, clerk of the U.S. Courts for the District of Idaho, said Lodge will turn 81 in December.

"It has been and continues to be an incredible privilege to serve on the same court with Judge Ed Lodge," Chief District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill said in a statement issued Wednesday. "His judicial legacy is simply unmatched in Idaho's history."

Winmill said Lodge's judicial temperament, wisdom and thoughtfulness make him the standard by which all other judges must be measured.

"Fortunately, Judge Lodge's decision to take senior status means that the District of Idaho will, for many years, continue to be blessed by his unmatched ability and skill as a jurist," Winmill said.

Lodge has notified President Barack Obama and members of Idaho's congressional delegation, all Republicans, of his intentions.

Senior status is an alternative to retirement, allowing federal judges to continue to serve the court while reducing their caseloads over time.

The change in status leaves the active judgeship vacant until a successor is nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He will continue to maintain chambers and staff at the federal courthouse in Boise.

Lodge served as a probate judge from 1963 through 1965. He was a state District Court judge in the Third Judicial District from 1965 through 1987.

Lodge graduated from the College of Idaho in 1957 and the University of Idaho College of Law in June 1961. He was admitted to the state bar on April 20, 1962.