Steven Taylor
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Steven W. Taylor is a Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the state's high court for civil matters. Taylor represents the state's second district. He has served in that capacity since 2004, and has strong community ties to the state. He was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court by Democratic Governor Brad Henry in September 2004, and was retained by the citizens in a statewide vote in the November 2006 general election.[citation needed]
Biography
Steven Taylor was born on June 7, 1949 in Henryetta, Oklahoma. During his high school years at McAlester High School, he served as a student body president, as member of the speech and debate team, and the state and national honor societies. Taylor earned a B.A. in political science from Oklahoma State University, and a J.D. from the University of Oklahoma. While a student at OSU, he was actively involved in student government and honor society and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
In 1978 he married Mary E. B. Taylor, a public school teacher, and they have one son, Wilson Harmon Taylor. [1]
Legal background
Taylor is a product of his native state's public schooling system, graduating from McAlester Public Schools in 1967. From there, he went on to receive his B.A. in Political Science from Oklahoma State University in 1971. Taylor stayed in the state to earn his J.D. as well, graduating from the Oklahoma College of Law in 1974.[citation needed]
Military Experience
Following the completion of his legal education, Taylor enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1970. He served on active duty from 1974-1978, eventually reaching the rank of Major. He was trained as an infantry platoon commander and later served as a prosecutor and Chief Defense Counsel. In 1977 he became the youngest judge in the U.S. Armed Forces.[2]
Legal career
- Following his active duty service in the Marines, Taylor practiced law in McAlester from 1978-1984.[citation needed]
- In 1980 he was elected to the McAlester City Council and in 1982 was elected Mayor of McAlester, making him the youngest Mayor in that city’s history.[citation needed]
- In March 1984 Governor George Nigh appointed Taylor Associate District Judge for Pittsburg County. In 1991 he was the first Associate District Judge ever to be elected President of the Oklahoma Judicial Conference.[citation needed]
- In 1994, Taylor was elected District Judge of the 18th Judicial District. In 1997 and 2003 he was elected Presiding Judge of the ten county East-Central Judicial Administrative District. As a trail judge he gained over 20 years of experience, presiding over 500 cases--most notably the trail for Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols.[citation needed]
- On September 24, 2004, Governor Brad Henry appointed Taylor to be a Justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma.
Awards and Recognition
- He was named one of Three Outstanding Young Oklahomans for 1983
- In 1985, in recognition of Taylor’s leadership in economic development, the City of McAlester named a multi-million dollar industrial park for him where many industries now employ several hundred Oklahomans.
- In 1997 he was named “Citizen of the Year” in McAlester
- In 2002 Taylor was recognized by Oklahoma State University as a “Leadership Legacy” and 2003 “Distinguished Alumnus”
- In 2007 Justice Taylor was inducted into the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame
- During the 2007 Oklahoma Centennial year Oklahoma magazine named Justice Taylor as one of the “100 Who Shaped Us”[citation needed]
In the News: Articles
Judge Steven Taylor and the Nichols Trial
Terry Nichols' trial on the Oklahoma City Murrah Bombing, was moved to Judge Steven W. Taylor's hometown of McAlester, Oklahoma, approximately 130 miles from Oklahoma City. The judge decided on the move in order to ensure a fair trial and prevent publicity from influencing the jurors. Even after the move it was difficult to find jurors who were impartial.[3]
After his Federal trial, Nichols was returned to Oklahoma in January 2000 to face 161 counts of first-degree murder. On May 26, 2004 he was found guilty on all charges. It took the six-man, six-woman jury five hours to produce a verdict. The penalty phase of the trial started on June 1, 2004. After 19½ hours of deliberation over a period of three days, the jury indicated on June 11, the third anniversary of the execution of his co-defendant, Timothy McVeigh, that it was deadlocked over whether Nichols should receive the death penalty. With the death penalty no longer an option, the sentencing was in the hands of Presiding Judge Steven W. Taylor, who determined that Terry Nichols should be sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.[4]
On The Issues
On Education
2007
- Justice Taylor vigorously dissented from the majority opinion of Justice Rudolph Hargrave. That majority opinion affirmed the trial judge's finding that the school district did not adequately demonstrate that a teacher who slapped and otherwise physically attacked a special-needs child deserved to have his employment terminated.
On Elections Law
2006
- Justice Taylor concurred in Justice Watt's opinion invalidating citizens' efforts to place a Tax Payer Bill of Rights (TABOR) on the Oklahoma ballot due to the use of out-of-state petition circulators by the initiative's supporters.
- Justice Taylor concurred in the majority opinion of Justice Yvonne Kauger, which invalidated a property-rights based voter initiative that would have protected private property from economic-development and regulatory takings
On Employer/Employee Rights
2007
- Justice Taylor concurred in the opinion of Justice James E. Lavender finding that an employer had the right to terminate the employment of an employee who insisted on pursuing a claim against a third party under Oklahoma's Open Records Act, as there was no "public policy exception" to such a firing.
On Negligence/Personal Responsibility
2007
- Justice Taylor authored the opinion of the Court in this case, finding Dish Network was not responsible for the injuries of a customer who fell off the roof of her home while tyring to repair her Dish Network satellite dish, even though Dish Network refused to make the repairs, and encouraged the customer to climb up onto the roof and make the repairs herself.
On Property Rights
2006
- Justice Taylor concurred in the majority opinion of Justice Yvonne Kauger, which invalidated a property-rights based voter initiative what would have protected private property from economic-development and regulatory takings.
External links
References
Portions of this biography were taken from Wikipedia on December 12, 2007.
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The Oklahoma Project on Judgepedia
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