With little fanfare, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, ill with brain cancer, has given up his seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

We didn’t want to let the moment pass without taking note. Mr. Kennedy has served in the Senate more than 45 years, building a vast and admirable record of legislative achievement, much of it as a member and past chairman of that committee.

First elected in 1962, Mr. Kennedy started building his legacy very quickly. He pushed for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and led the monumental reform of the immigration system in 1965, the effects of which are still being felt today.

He has been a progressive stalwart over the decades on civil rights, gender equality, gun control and affirmative action. He led the fight to raise the minimum wage and to lower the voting age to 18. He has fought against bad judicial appointments and the death penalty. He has defended immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities and the poor.

Any examination of Mr. Kennedy’s accomplishments would be both exhausting (a 3,000-word timeline on his Web site hits just the high points) and premature — he is still chasing his biggest goals.

His absence from the Judiciary Committee is a huge blow to supporters of immigration reform, one of his signature issues.

There is, however, consolation in knowing that Mr. Kennedy gave up his Judiciary seat in order to focus his time and energy next year on pushing for universal health care, a legislative grail that has eluded him for decades.