PROFILE: Meet Hon. Emmit Tayloe, Judge For Oklahoma's Fifth Judicial District

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No debate about it: Judge Tayloe loves his family, his job, the community and trying to help others put lives back together

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  • Southwest Ledger photo by Debi DeSilver
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PROFILE: Meet Hon. Emmit Tayloe, Judge for Oklahoma's Fifth Judicial District

 

LAWTON - It’s not uncommon for a judge to have a strong opinion. District Judge Emmit Tayloe leaned into his desk. A sparkle came into his eyes at the same time a big smile emerged.

 

“If you don’t have grandkids, get them as soon as you can!” He laughed but was serious and repeated his opinion again more adamantly. “Get grandkids as soon as you can.” Tayloe got up from his chair and walked over to a bookcase near his desk. Next to a large copy of Black’s Law Dictionary sat a small framed photo of a young blond-haired toddler. The dictionary’s spine was a little tattered at the top and looked like it had been well-used and might have an interesting story associated with it. “There’s nothing special about that dictionary,” Tayloe said. “There’s not a story there.”

 

The story was actually about the photo of a grandson sitting in Tayloe’s chair and playing like he is calling the court to order. The judge’s smile got bigger and spread back up to his eyes. He mentioned that he has four grandkids. After talking about the special photo, Tayloe settled back into his chair. He had just come off a busy trial docket week and as Chief Judge was looking over an upcoming calendar. After a law career spanning a little over 30 years in Comanche County, he was appointed District Judge in 2014 by then-governor Mary Fallin after the Hon. C. Allen McCall retired.

 

Tayloe went on to run for the open seat in November 2014 and won. He was then re-elected in November 2018 to serve another term. He loves being a judge and said he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

 

FAMILY AND EARLY LIFE

 

With his official black judicial robe hanging on a free-standing coat rack to his side, Tayloe seemed most comfortable sitting back and talking about family and other important people in his life. He starts off with a favorite story about his parents.

 

“Dad was from Virginia and was stationed at Fort Sill. Mom was from Cement. He had to wait for payday to take her out on a first date. On the next month’s payday, they got married. They ended up celebrating 50 years of marriage,” he said. His father retired as a Master Sergeant at Fort Sill and Lawton is where Tayloe was born and raised. His love for the community runs deep. He was born Dec. 31, 1957, in the old Southwestern Hospital on Lee Blvd. He attended Lawton public schools and graduated from Eisenhower Senior High in 1976.

 

It was as a seventh-grader that Tayloe decided he would pursue the required course to be a lawyer. “I just wanted to figure out my career. I knew that in the eighth grade I got to pick my first elective. I used to watch Perry Mason [a fictional criminal defense lawyer] on TV with my mom. I also read the book, So You Want to be a Lawyer ... and I thought, ‘I can do that.’” Tayloe said, due to his size in school, he wasn’t that much interested in sports.

 

“I thought about football in junior high and then I realized everyone else was bigger. I feared for my life,” he said. So, in keeping with his plan to follow his chosen career path, he joined Debate and that opened doors for the young man who aspired to be a lawyer.

 

CAMERON UNIVERSITY

 

As a member of the EHS debate squad, Tayloe caught the eye of Cameron University’s Debate Coach Tony Allison. “He offered me a scholarship,” Tayloe said, with a hint of awe in his voice. “It was a big deal. We didn’t have any money. I worked at Herb’s grocery in Cache Road Square. I received a McMahon Foundation Debate Scholarship.

 

“Coach Allison touched a lot of people’s lives through Cameron. He cultivated a lot of kids that went on to law school,” he said. Under the guidance of Allison, Tayloe went on to become a member of the 1979 National Championship Speech Team and also earned the first place trophy in the Senior Division Debate Tournament.

 

Through the years, Tayloe has stayed connected with Cameron. He has been honored as a Cameron University Distinguished Alumni and is a member of the Cameron Alumni Relations Committee. In 2018, he was honored to be chosen as the commencement speaker for the graduating class. “I love Cameron,” he said. It was a heartfelt statement.

 

CAREER PATH

 

Staying on his chosen career path, Tayloe graduated from Cameron in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts, Speech Major, and was accepted into the Oklahoma University College of Law. “When you go to law school, you drop out of society for three years,” Tayloe said. “You study. When you get out, though, you can stand in front of any judge.”

 

When the aspiring lawyer re-emerged into society, he spent a year as a legal intern at the Department of Transportation. He did legal research and helped with preparation of trials and appeals. He was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar on April 22, 1983. Tayloe chose to return to his hometown to work and was hired as the Assistant District Attorney in the Comanche County District Attorney’s Office. In his four years in that position, he was the lead prosecuting attorney from a case’s filing through any trial proceedings.

 

In 1986, he entered private practice. He handled criminal and civil cases for 28 years. In 2014, he was appointed District Judge. “A common question I have been asked is how do I like being a judge compared to being a lawyer?” Tayloe said. “My answer is this. A lawyer can help clients one at a time. A judge can help in large groups." “When I first took the bench, there were few rehabilitation programs. It was the age-old question of rehabilitation versus incarceration. People weren’t getting the help they needed,” he said.

 

COMMUNITY SENTENCING

 

Among other noted achievements during his tenure of District Judge, initiating the Community Sentencing diversion program in 2016 is something that Tayloe is very passionate about. It has now grown into well over 100 defendants.

 

In a nutshell the program means that rather than going to prison, defendants receive two years of community sentencing and resources and support to try and help turn their lives  around. When participants complete the two-year program, they receive a diploma and have their photo taken with the judge. They are also asked to give a speech to the group, which can consist of over 100 people.

 

“Sometimes, just giving that speech can be their greatest fear,” Tayloe said. “But here’s my favorite speech that was given. It was from a young lady and she said, ‘I got caught with drugs and went to prison. I got out of prison and I had lost my kids, my job, my husband and my home. I got in the program. Two years later I have a job and a home.’” Tayloe added that her children were sitting on the front row. “It’s about changing people’s lives,” he said. “It’s very rewarding and I’m truly passionate about it.”

 

MENTAL HEALTH

 

Tayloe said his next venture is establishing a mental health court within the community. He talked about the challenges in addressing mental illness because of the stigma. “It’s a most guarded secret. Did you know that there are more mentally ill people in the county jail than there are in Taliaferro?” he asked. Tayloe was referring to the Jim Taliaferro Community Health Center in Lawton.

 

“Taking on this issue may be my Don Quixote next windmill, but I want to help. In the DOC (Department of Corrections) prison, 60% of inmates either have had or are suffering from mental illness,” he said. Tayloe sat back from his desk again, where he had leaned in while passionately talking about mental health and community sentencing. He reflected a moment. “I love my job,” he said. It was a heartfelt statement.

 

FULFILLING LIFE

 

The judge relaxed again and settled back in his chair and began talking about his wife of almost 35 years, Dolina. He said they have three children and they like to spend time on the lake boating with the kids and grandkids. And then the smile begins to move back up into his eyes again.