Superior Court Seat Goes to Samuel Taylor

Gov. George Deukmejian Thursday named veteran Municipal Judge Samuel B. Taylor Jr. to fill one of three vacancies on the Orange County Superior Court.

The 53-year-old Republican, first appointed to the lower-court bench in 1973 by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan, will be sworn in to his new job Monday, local court officials said.

Taylor said he received a personal telephone call from Deukmejian Wednesday informing him that he would be elevated to the Superior Court.

“I thought that was a nice touch,” Taylor said of the call.

Taylor said he was interviewed about the promotion last August by Marvin Baxter, Deukmejian’s appointments secretary.

Taylor, who lives in Santa Ana, replaces former Judge Walter W. Charamza, who retired Oct. 31.

The appointment still leaves two vacancies on the 51-person Superior Court bench, created by the departures of former judges Kenneth Lae and Mark P. Robinson Sr.

Lae retired last December and Robinson resigned the balance of his term last May. He ran unopposed for reelection last June and has sought, unsuccessfully so far, to claim his seat on the bench for the new term.