Randall Rader resigned from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Friday, three weeks after stepping down as chief judge and apologizing for an overly friendly email to a prominent member of the bar.

Arguably the world’s most prominent voice on intellectual property law just one month ago, Rader will conclude his 23-year tenure at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on June 30, according to a one-sentence announcement posted on the court’s website.