Nichols' trial judge known for fairness, integrity

Judge Steven Taylor

By Kelly Kurt

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) _ The road to justice in Oklahoma has long dead-ended just a short drive from Judge Steven W. Taylor's courtroom.

When he was growing up here, the condemned in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at the edge of town met their fate in the electric chair. "Old Sparky" fired for the last time just before Taylor's senior year in high school.

But executions weren't what shaped the judge presiding over the trial that could send Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols down the road to lethal injection, Taylor's friends say.

The 54-year-old's reputation for fairness and integrity go back to at least junior high.

"Steve's always been a straight-shooter and never afraid to take a stand on what he thought was right," said Allen Mann, a McAlester greenhouse owner and Taylor's former classmate.

Many in Taylor's hometown call him the perfect choice to oversee Nichols' trial on 161 state murder charges in the April 19, 1995, blast. It is scheduled to start Monday.

Even lawyers Taylor has ruled against agreed with the state Supreme Court's decision to appoint him to the job.

"He's probably the fairest judge I've been before," said Warren Gotcher, a McAlester defense lawyer who once practiced with Taylor. "He will let lawyers try their case but will not lose control of his courtroom."

Finding critics of the judge isn't easy, and some suggest the only ones are locked up behind prison walls.

"If he sends you to jail, you deserve to be there," said Bob Burow, a local restaurant owner who's never had to go before the judge.

Taylor's dark, deep-set eyes give his face a gentle quality, but he is firm and businesslike on the bench. When he decided to move Nichols' trial to his home court, he assured both sides he would accept "nothing less than a fair and impartial jury."

"This Court will see to that," he wrote.

The names of Taylor's mentors show up on the thoroughfares of this southeast Oklahoma city of about 16,000.

Carl Albert Parkway, named for the 5-foot-4 1/2 "Little Giant from Little Dixie" who became U.S. House Speaker, runs past the courthouse. An expressway honors former Gov. George Nigh.

The industrial park bears Taylor's own name, a tribute to his service between 1982 and 1984 as the city's mayor.

"With his foresight, now we've got 3,000 jobs there," said City Manager Randy Green, who also grew up with the judge.

As a 26-year-old Marine, Taylor became the U.S. Armed Forces' youngest judge. In his early 30s, he was McAlester's youngest-ever mayor.

Even then, Taylor stood up for what he believed, said Green, who served under him.

"He has told people `no' when I myself was sweating. I've heard him tell the governor `no.' I've heard him tell one of the richest people in Oklahoma `no.'"

Taylor appeared thoughtful for a moment before saying "no" to an interview request for this article.

He refuses to talk about the Nichols' case and talking about himself, he said, would draw inappropriate attention to the trial. And, he added, it wouldn't be fair to other reporters whom he had already denied.

"I believe whenever he rules he has really weighed everything," said Loise Washington, Albert's former administrative assistant and Taylor's friend.

When she sought his advice after being named to the state's judicial nominating commission, he gave her a motto.

"He said, `Look at it all, weigh it all, consider it all and go by that,'" she said.

Nigh, who appointed Taylor to the bench in 1984, said that decision was only confirmed by Taylor's appointment to oversee Nichols' case.

"It will be run according to the book," the former governor said. "He will make sure that under the law, it's fair. He basically won't bend in any direction he should not."