O.C. Judge Backed for U.S. Bench : Courts: Legal community and congressmen applaud Sen. Pete Wilson’s recommendation of Gary L. Taylor for federal judgeship in Santa Ana.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Gary L. Taylor, the overwhelming favorite of the local legal community to become a federal judge in Santa Ana, was recommended Wednesday by Sen. Pete Wilson for the coveted lifetime post.

Taylor’s selection by Wilson (R-Calif.) was celebrated by Orange County judges, lawyers and congressmen, who had mounted a strong campaign to see that a local person got the judgeship.

Rep. C. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), who has introduced legislation aimed at building a larger, permanent federal courthouse in Orange County, said he was “delighted” with Wilson’s choice.

“There has been a long-standing agitation for more Orange County representation on the state and federal benches,” Cox said.

“It’s just part of the growing pains we’re experiencing. Orange County has grown from a suburb to a major metropolitan area in a very short time. It’s time the county is taken seriously. It’s a world-class area economically, politically, demographically.”

Taylor emerged months ago as the leader among a group of candidates for the plum post of U.S. district judge. The effort to bring him to Wilson’s attention was fueled by local bar associations, which want to increase Orange County’s presence in state and federal courts in California.

Many local lawyers and judges have felt that Orange County has unfairly languished in Los Angeles’ shadow and has been slighted when judicial appointments have been passed out.

Thomas R. Malcolm, secretary of the Orange County Bar Assn., said Taylor “will make Sen. Wilson proud.”

“As a judge he’s very patient, congenial, well-organized and highly academic,” Malcolm said. “Personally, he’s warm and upbeat at all times.”

Taylor, 50, of Villa Park, a third-generation Orange County resident, has several steps to go before he can take the bench.

Wilson’s move Wednesday was essentially a recommendation to President Bush, who is responsible for nominating a candidate for a judicial vacancy. Taylor must still endure a background check by the FBI, an evaluation by the American Bar Assn. and interviews by the Justice Department before Bush can nominate him. Then he is subject to approval by the Senate Judiciary Committee and confirmation by the full Senate.

Taylor must also survive a tiff between the White House and Senate Republicans, who have objected to Bush’s insistence that senators submit three candidates for judicial vacancies. Confirmation of several other nominees was stalled last week in a dispute over that requirement.

It remained an open question whether Wilson will have to submit additional names for the judgeship, which pays $89,500 a year. A pay-raise package approved by Congress last week will increase the annual salary to $96,600 in February, 1990, and $124,400 in January, 1991.

Taylor declined comment on his selection, saying he had been asked not to discuss it. But U.S. District Judge J. Spencer Letts, a Los Angeles federal judge who agreed to commute to Santa Ana until a replacement was chosen, praised Taylor.

“It’s splendid,” Letts said. “I’m delighted it is he. I like him. I think it’s important to appoint someone who’s a known and respected name in Orange County, and Gary Taylor is certainly that. He’s well-known and he commands respect.”

If confirmed, Taylor would join U.S. District Judge Alicemarie H. Stotler in the 22-month-old federal courthouse in Santa Ana and Letts would return to Los Angeles. Of the 12 federal judges chosen by Wilson for seats in the sprawling, seven-county judicial district that includes Los Angeles and Orange counties, Taylor would be only the second to come from Orange County. Stotler was the first.

Taylor spent 20 years in private practice in Newport Beach, specializing in business litigation, before he was appointed to Superior Court by Gov. George Deukmejian in June, 1986. Much of his time off the bench is dedicated to lecturing and writing about business law, and he publishes a monthly business litigation newsletter.

A graduate of Santa Ana High School and UCLA School of Law, Taylor describes himself as an enthusiastic traveler, swimmer, biker and gardener. He is an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Orange.

Bill Wenke, Taylor’s former law partner, praised him as the “perfect candidate.”

“He’s a beautiful person,” Wenke said. “He’s got just the right temperament to be a judge. He loves the law. He’s got a great mind. It’s just thrilling.”