He was the younger brother of Michael J. Daly, who received the Medal of Honor in 1945 for actions during World War II.
[3] As a trial lawyer, Daly gained prominence when he won freedom for Peter A. Reilly of Litchfield County, Connecticut, who had been wrongfully convicted of murdering his mother.
With the help of a private investigator, Daly uncovered new evidence that resulted in Reilly being cleared of the crime and released from jail.
[4] As a judge, Daly presided over several high-profile trials, including the Waterbury, Connecticut municipal corruption case, which ended in 1992 when he sent the former Mayor Joseph J. Santopietro to Federal prison for nine years.
In May 1995, in a landmark decision, he ruled that state police can be held liable for taping telephone conversations in barracks.