Courthouse renamed after judge who helped get it built

Palm Beach County’s main courthouse is being renamed after the federal judge who played a key role in getting it built.

The County Commission on Tuesday agreed to name the state and county courthouse on North Dixie Highway in downtown West Palm Beach after Senior U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley.

The bow-tie-wearing judge announced his retirement this year after a more than 40-year legal career that included presiding over county and federal courts.

He recently presided over the civil trial of a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed an unarmed man at a Loxahatchee Groves nursery.

Hurley was instrumental in pushing for building the courthouse that opened in 1995, said Commissioner Dave Kerner who called for the renaming.

Hurley led the contingent of community leaders who worked with local cities to secure countywide support for constructing a new courthouse. The 11-story courthouse had a price tag that grew to $125 million.

Hurley, originally from Massachusetts, was a seminary student before going to George Washington University Law School, where he graduated in 1968, according to the Federal Judicial Center.

He started his legal career as a law clerk in Washington, D.C., and then moved to Palm Beach County to become assistant county solicitor.

Hurley was an assistant state attorney from 1973 to 1975, when he became a county court judge.

Hurley went on to serve as a circuit court and appeals court judge. President Bill Clinton in November 1993 nominated Hurley for the U.S. District Court and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 1994.

He became a senior judge in 2009. On Tuesday, he was presiding in the federal courthouse. And his official calendar runs through at least October.