Judge Taylor Character Analysis in To Kill a Mockingbird

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.

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.

...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)

...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)

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)

...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)

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)

...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)

...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)

Judge Taylor calls for a 10-minute break. Mr. Underwood snorts when he sees Scout, Jem, and Dill... (full context)

...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)

...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)

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)

...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)

...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)

...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)

...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)

...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)

...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)