Patience, Intelligence and Integrity Are Taylor’s Hallmarks, Peers Say
In the dog days of an overcrowded court system, when so much effort is focused on speeding up the wheels of justice, Superior Court Judge Gary L. Taylor is the voice of calm humanity.
Slow down, he says. Remember, the courts are for people. Don’t rush them. Everyone has a right to be heard.
Taylor’s sentiments stand out amid the frayed nerves and overworked minds that populate a courthouse overrun by delays. His colleagues say that his patience, integrity and intelligence are the hallmarks that distinguish him as an exceptional judge.
Taylor was recognized at the highest level Friday when President Bush nominated him to be a judge of the U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, a highly coveted lifetime post. Taylor must still be confirmed by the Senate.
Taylor has impressed colleagues since Gov. George Deukmejian appointed him to the Superior Court in 1986. His assignments have run the gamut, from general civil trials to law-and-motion hearings, and, most recently, the expedited trial panel.
“He’s a real student of the law and a gentleman,” said Harmon G. Scoville, who recently retired as presiding justice of the state appeals court in Santa Ana. “I’ve been a judge for 22 years and I’ve seen a lot come and go, and he’s one of the best.”
“He’s just a wonderful guy to be around,” said Superior Court Judge Richard J. Beacom. “He’s courtly. He doesn’t look down his nose at anybody. He never comes close to misrepresenting the law or the facts in a case. He has a tremendous amount of integrity.”
During a brown-bag lunch in his chambers, Taylor discussed the troubles facing a backlogged court. His comments revealed his conviction that time--no matter how precious--must be spent to ensure a fair outcome to all legal disputes.
“You shouldn’t run people in and out like herds of cattle,” Taylor said between sips of fruit juice and bites of a sandwich. “You have to err on the side of a little more formality. Most judges think you should just settle a case, and sometimes that’s fine.
“But people are also entitled to their day in court. People shouldn’t be required to compromise their rights. They need fair treatment and the appearance of fair treatment. Even the loser needs to feel he got a fair hearing.”
A warm and down-to-earth man given to broad smiles, Taylor does not let his massive desk separate him from a visitor. Instead, he takes a chair nearby. Taylor is modest and has difficulty talking about himself. But he says he chose law because he wanted to contribute something to the world around him.
“We’re here for such a short time,” he said. “It’s important to use it to do something meaningful, to benefit those around you, to do something constructive so that after you’re gone, there was a reason you were there. You don’t have to be Winston Churchill or Mother Teresa. But you can change a little piece of the world and leave it better than when you arrived.”
With a chuckle, Taylor says that “putting three neat kids into the world” was probably his best contribution. Indeed, by most accounts, he is an old-fashioned family man who spends his time gardening, walking and traveling. His wife, JoAnn, is active in charitable work. Both are churchgoing Presbyterians. They have a son who recently graduated from high school, another son who finished college and works in the computer field, and a daughter in law school.
Born and raised in Santa Ana, Taylor was vice president of the honor society at Santa Ana High School and went on to undergraduate work and law school at UCLA. From 1964 to 1966, he served a stint in Missouri as an Army lawyer, where he said he learned a thing or two about the value of life: He prosecuted a sergeant for kicking his wife to death while their children watched. He helped young men his own age draft wills before they shipped out.
During his 20 years of private practice in Orange County, when he specialized in business litigation, Taylor impressed colleagues “from the first moment as a natural,” said his former partner, William F. Wenke.
Taylor’s reputation for being squeaky clean and ethical has drawn a few affectionate jokes.
“He’s like Reverend Gary to me,” said Superior Court Judge Richard N. Parslow with a laugh. “Something about him reminds me of a minister. I never slap Gary on the back like I do the others around here. But he tells the best clean jokes around.”
Parslow recalled that as a fellow law student, Taylor “never put his hand up unless he had something to contribute that was succinct, interesting, and, generally, correct.”
Superior Court Commissioner Ronald Bauer described Taylor as “a lawyer’s lawyer” who abides by his own, oft-quoted doctrine: “If you can’t say it in five pages, maybe you can’t say it at all.”
“I remember one case in which Gary filed a document, about 3 1/2 pages long,” Bauer said. “It cited only one case. That case was precisely on point and it said exactly what he said it did. It resolved the issues in the litigation in his favor and that was that. It was typical of him.”
