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Federal courthouse in Tallahassee renamed after state's first Black Supreme Court judge

The Florida A&M University graduate was the first Black justice to sit on the state supreme court and later was the first black person to serve on a federal court of appeals.

Former Congressman Al Lawson was behind the push to rename the courthouse to honor Hatchett on the House floor last year.

“We are talking about an individual that gave his career in public service to protect people’s rights, to stand up for those who are less fortunate," said Lawson. "A person that cared not because of the color of an individual but because of the individual themselves.”

The courthouse is located at 111 North Adams Street. The building now dons Hatchett’s name along with a sculpture of him.

He died in April 2021. He was 88.

Adrian Andrews is a multimedia journalist with WFSU Public Media. He is a Gadsden County native and a first-generation college graduate from Florida A&M University. Adrian is also a military veteran, ending his career as a Florida Army National Guard Non-Comissioned Officer.

Adrian has experience in print writing, digital content creation, documentary, and film production. He has spent the last four years on the staff of several award-winning publications such as The Famuan, Gadsden County News Corp, and Cumulus Media before joining the WFSU news team.