To Kill a Mockingbird

by

Harper Lee

Judge Taylor Character Analysis

The elderly judge in Maycomb. He often looks like he’s asleep and not paying attention, but in reality, he pays close attention to court proceedings and is a strict and fair judge. He has a peculiar habit of eating cigars during court proceedings, which fascinates and delights Scout. While Judge Taylor doesn’t overtly voice his support for Tom Robinson or Atticus during the trial, Miss Maudie points out that he did assign the case to Atticus, not the newest lawyer in town, suggesting that he wanted Robinson to have the best chance possible.
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Judge Taylor Character Timeline in To Kill a Mockingbird

The timeline below shows where the character Judge Taylor appears in To Kill a Mockingbird. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 9
Good, Evil, and Human Dignity Theme Icon
Prejudice Theme Icon
Courage Theme Icon
Small Town Southern Life Theme Icon
...case. Atticus says that it’s a case of he-said, she-said, and the Ewells are involved—but John Taylor told him to take it, and he won’t be able to face his children if... (full context)
Chapter 16
Prejudice Theme Icon
Growing Up Theme Icon
Small Town Southern Life Theme Icon
...the children to sit in the balcony with the black people. Scout surveys the room. Judge Taylor , as usual, looks to be asleep. Scout hopes she can watch him eat a... (full context)
Chapter 17
Good, Evil, and Human Dignity Theme Icon
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Scout thinks all of this seems boring. Judge Taylor calls Bob Ewell to the stand as Scout notice Jem’s grin. Bob Ewell is bright... (full context)
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...Mr. Gilmer and makes a crude joke when Mr. Gilmer asks if he’s Mayella’s father. Judge Taylor tells Mr. Ewell to not speak like that in his courtroom, but Scout doesn’t think... (full context)
Prejudice Theme Icon
Small Town Southern Life Theme Icon
Fixing Mr. Ewell with a glare, Judge Taylor gets the questioning going again. Mr. Ewell says he saw the room in disarray and... (full context)
Chapter 18
Good, Evil, and Human Dignity Theme Icon
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...share what happened. Mayella promptly bursts into tears and says that she’s afraid of Atticus. Judge Taylor assures her that Atticus won’t scare her. Mayella says that Mr. Ewell had asked her... (full context)
Good, Evil, and Human Dignity Theme Icon
Prejudice Theme Icon
...over questioning. He calls Mayella “miss” and “ma’am,” which offends her. Scout is flabbergasted and Judge Taylor assures Mayella that Atticus is just being polite. Atticus builds up a picture of the... (full context)
Growing Up Theme Icon
Judge Taylor calls for a 10-minute break. Mr. Underwood snorts when he sees Scout, Jem, and Dill... (full context)
Chapter 19
Good, Evil, and Human Dignity Theme Icon
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...Mr. Gilmer rises as Mr. Deas announces that he’s never had any trouble from Tom. Judge Taylor throws Mr. Deas out. Mr. Gilmer asks about Tom’s disorderly conduct charge and asks if... (full context)
Chapter 20
Prejudice Theme Icon
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...will if she steps back inside the courthouse. Scout pulls Dill back into the courthouse. Judge Taylor is almost finished with his cigar and Atticus is already halfway through his speech to... (full context)
Chapter 21
Growing Up Theme Icon
Small Town Southern Life Theme Icon
Calpurnia passes Atticus a note. Atticus asks Judge Taylor to go, since his children are missing, but Mr. Underwood interjects that Scout, Jem, and... (full context)
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...find that the jury is still out, and few people moved. Reverend Sykes shares that Judge Taylor seemed like he may have been leaning toward Tom’s side. Jem confidently announces that they’ll... (full context)
Good, Evil, and Human Dignity Theme Icon
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...sure sign they convicted him. She half expects to see Atticus raise an unloaded rifle. Judge Taylor reads the verdicts: they’re all guilty. Atticus packs his things, whispers something to Tom, and... (full context)
Chapter 22
Courage Theme Icon
Small Town Southern Life Theme Icon
...there’s anyone else, and Miss Maudie points out that the black neighborhood, Mr. Tate, and Judge Taylor stepped up—Judge Taylor didn’t give Tom’s case to the newest lawyer, for instance. Miss Maudie... (full context)
Chapter 27
Good, Evil, and Human Dignity Theme Icon
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...Ewell gets a job with the WPA, but they fire him within days. Second, while Judge Taylor is home one Sunday night while his wife is at church, he hears an odd... (full context)
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...him or Mayella, and nobody thinks he’s a hero like he wanted. He says that Judge Taylor made him look like a fool and treated him contemptuously. (full context)
Chapter 28
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...until she misses her cue and runs onstage to catch up with everyone else, which Judge Taylor finds hilarious. Mrs. Merriweather accuses Scout of ruining her pageant, but Jem makes Scout feel... (full context)