U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, of New York, will relinquish his role as the top Democrat on the powerful House Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, according to a letter to colleagues on Wednesday.

Nadler has been the party’s top member of the committee for seven years, as chairman from 2019 to 2022 and ranking member since then.

“Although I will not be Ranking Member, I will still be an active member of the Committee, and I am eager to work alongside its new leadership in the battle to protect our most vulnerable communities and our most precious democratic ideals,” Nadler said in the letter.

The Manhattan lawmaker’s hold on the position became precarious in recent days as Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin said on Monday he intended to challenge Nadler for the post. Nadler praised Raskin in his letter, who is currently the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

“Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with many distinguished colleagues on the Committee. I am also proud that, under my leadership, some of our caucus’s most talented rising stars have been given a platform to demonstrate their leadership and their abilities. That includes Jamie Raskin, who in just a few terms in Congress has already proven himself to be an exceptional leader and spokesperson for our party’s values,” Nadler wrote.

Nadler, 77, has been in Congress for 32 years and is dean of the New York delegation. His oversight of the Judiciary Committee oversaw, among other things, a historic two impeachments of Donald Trump. The committee is expected to play a key role in the next Congress with Trump returning to the White House. The committee will be chaired by Republican Jim Jordan.

Democrats on the committee will vote at some point to decide their next leader. If Raskin is chosen, it could be an opening for another New Yorker, Bronx Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is Raskin’s second on the Oversight Committee.