PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The city of Providence is dedicating one of its streets to a lifelong resident and longtime judge.

A section of Fulton Street is now named “Judge Selya Way” in honor of Bruce Selya, the longest-serving Rhode Islander on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

City officials said Seyla was instrumental in the revitalization of the downtown area surrounding the courthouse. He was appointed to the District Court in 1982 and moved to the Court of Appeals in 1986.

City leaders, family and friends, and Selya himself gathered Thursday at the block next to the federal courthouse and Kennedy Plaza for the dedication.

“Any way you slice it, I am a Providence guy and I think that you can understand against that backdrop why this street naming has such great meaning for me,” Selya said. “The street itself is a short street, but it runs adjacent to this building and so it links me in perpetuity both with the city that I love and with the courthouse that has become my second home.”

The name change was sponsored by City Councilman John Goncalves.

“As a product of Providence public schools, Judge Selya never forgot his Providence and Rhode Island roots while rising to the highest ranks of the federal court system,” Goncalves said. “Throughout his long and distinguished career, Judge Selya has earned a reputation as a brilliant legal mind, an unwavering advocate for justice, and a tireless public servant.”