The Late Judge Edward Rodgers Honored with Law Library Naming On May 29, 2025, the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit unveiled the Judge Edward Rodgers Law Library during a naming ceremony held at the Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley Courthouse in Downtown West Palm Beach. Family members, friends, elected officials, current and retired members of the judiciary, members of the legal community and other dignitaries as well as court administration staff, attended the momentous occasion, where many shared their fondest memories of and lessons from the late Judge Rodgers.
The naming of the Law Library was approved by the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners during their April Board meeting, after a request from Chief Judge Glenn Kelley. Judge Edward Rodgers served 22 years as a Judge in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. He graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Arts and subsequently obtained his Juris Doctorate from Florida A&M University College of Law. Two years after graduating from law school, Judge Rodgers was appointed the first Black county prosecutor. In 1973, he was appointed to the bench by then-Governor Reubin Askew, the first Black judge to serve in Palm Beach County. In 1977, he was elevated to the Circuit Court bench. Judge Rodgers later served one term as the County's first Black Chief Judge from 1983-1985.
In 1991, Judge Rodgers established the Riviera Beach Civil Drug Court which serves the citizens of Palm Beach County who struggle with substance abuse issues. In 1992, he was awarded the Jefferson Award; the Nobel prize for public service, in recognition for his visionary work related to the Riviera Beach Civil Drug Court.
Judge Rodgers retired from the bench in 1995 but continued his community work, later serving as Councilman and Mayor of Riviera Beach. He passed away in 2018 and is remembered as an extraordinary jurist and community leader.