Reading through the comments, my suspicions about people are true. Everyone is an idiot.
Nobody posting there has a clue about architecture, but the have a mouse and an audience.
It took a while to grow on me, but I don't think it's too bad. (My old reply to Casual Fan would have been "I wouldn't have done it that way." )
My firm (at that time) didn't have anything to do with it. For big projects like that, they look for a nationally known design firm who teams up with a local firm. That way the client gets the notoriety of a big league designer with the knowledge and service of a local firm. We teamed up with a firm out of California (I think) but didn't get the job. I wasn't on that team, so I don't know much more than that.
The architect that did the design that they were going to build, did a presentation on it for the local architects association (AIA) and it was pretty interesting. The additional renderings that he showed helped tell the story better.
I met one of the judges that was really advocating for the thing at a ballgame. We talked about it quite a bit. He was less than happy that it wasn't going to be built. It the economy hadn't tanked, it just might have happened.
Unfortunately, the renovation of the existing courthouse will cost more than the new building would have cost.