Taylor Resigns as U.S. District Judge

U.S. District Judge Gary L. Taylor, who presided over some of Orange County’s most notable cases in recent years, said Monday that he would step down from the federal bench Thursday.

Taylor, 66, is best known for presiding over the complex, multibillion-dollar liability cases that arose out of the Orange County bankruptcy in 1994. He also handled the case involving reuse of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

Taylor said he had enjoyed his 15 years on the federal bench and said being a judge was “the best job in the world.”

But after nearly 40 years in Orange County law, Taylor said he was looking forward to pursuing other ventures in the private legal sector “before I finally run out of steam.”

Taylor said he was barred from announcing his post-retirement plans until he left the bench.

Andra Barmash-Greene, president of the Federal Bar Assn. of Orange County, called Taylor “an outstanding jurist” who had handled cases and issues that affected many Orange County residents.

“He combines a very sharp legal mind with a friendly, almost informal, atmosphere,” Barmash-Greene said.

Taylor, a Republican, was named to the federal bench in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush.

This month, in a case involving a gay Mission Viejo couple, he upheld a 1996 federal law that allows states to deny recognition to same-sex marriages.

This spring he also ruled that the Orange County jail system would no longer be bound by a 1978 court order governing the treatment of prisoners.

Taylor’s pending cases have been randomly reassigned among federal judges in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties, according to court executive Sherri Carter.

Lawyers around the county lauded Taylor for his fairness, professionalism and civility in the courtroom.

“He always had a great demeanor,” said Dean Zipser, president of the Orange County Bar Assn., calling his enthusiasm contagious.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Douglas McCormick, who was Taylor’s law clerk in 1995, said Taylor “came in every day singing a happy tune, literally, and he left every night just about the same way.”

He is one of five federal judges sitting in Santa Ana.

Taylor’s departure will create an opportunity for President Bush to nominate a replacement.