June 7, 2010

Taylor to take oath of office in Centre in January

By Scott Wright

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CENTRE — The man who last week won election as the new judge for the Ninth Judicial Circuit said everyone can expect a fair shake in his courtroom.

“Judges are selected through the political process. However, this election is over and that means for me that politics is over,” said DeKalb County native Jeremy Taylor. “In my courtroom, it doesn't matter who you supported in this race. Everyone is on an equal footing.”
Taylor, a former Cherokee-DeKalb assistant district attorney who relocated to Centre last year, has no opposition in the General Election in November and will take office in January 2011.

“I am honored and humbled to have been elected our next circuit judge,” Taylor said Thursday. “I always said that I was running for this position and not against my opponent. It was a clean race and I appreciate that.”
As expected, each candidate fared better in his county of origin. In Cherokee County, presiding Judge J. Kevin Grimes received over 60 percent of the vote (1,667 to 1,072), but Taylor outpolled Grimes 2,985 votes to 1,252 in his own home county to win the race by over a thousand votes (4,057 to 2,919).

Taylor took issue with a rumor that circulated during the campaign that he only moved to Cherokee County so he could run for the bench.

“I have worked here for over three years and I moved here last year for a number of reasons, one of which was because I work here,” Taylor said. “Other reasons include the fact that my wife is a non-tenured teacher and we wanted her to have as many opportunities as possible, including working in the Cherokee County school system, or Calhoun County, or Georgia.”
Taylor said he has already taken a shine to his new hometown – so much so that he plans to take the oath of office in Centre instead of Fort Payne early next year.
“Even though our circuit covers two counties, I live and work here so I'll be sworn in at the Cherokee County Courthouse,” he said. “I look forward to taking office.”
Taylor said he is ready to begin focusing on his job, which will consist largely of deciding questions of family-based litigation.

“Service to the people of this circuit is my only concern going forward,” Taylor said. “As I have promised, in my court you will be treated with dignity and respect in every case.”