James Taylor of Banning will join the bench of San Bernardino Superior Court, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Oct. 9.
Taylor has maintained his own law office since he joined the State Bar in 2000. He has worked for the San Bernardino County Indigent Defense Program from 2001 to 2020, where he was contracted by the court to represent indigent defendants. The program provides representation for an average 3,000 misdemeanor and 3,500 felony cases a year. He also worked with Conflict Defense Lawyers from 2005 to 2014.
He limited his cases to San Bernardino and Riverside superior courts.
“When you hire Criminal Defense Attorney James M. Taylor, you get Criminal Defense Attorney James M. Taylor in court with you, not attorney so-n-so appearing for Law Offices of Too Busy Tucare who is unable to appear today because they took on too many cases in too many counties on the same day,” his website says.
In 2008, Taylor led the defense of Banning resident Julian McKee, who was accused of a 2006 double murder outside a Banning apartment complex. McKee was acquitted.
In 2017, Taylor defended Beaumont former finance director William Aylward in an embezzlement case. Aylward pleaded guilty, with three other city officials, and was ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution.
His work in law is a second career—he was an automotive technician until he suffered injuries from a drunken driver that ended that career, his website says.
He graduated from the Western State College of Law. Taylor fills the vacancy created by Judge Ingrid Uhler’s retirement.