Judge Taylor can also be seen to be sypathetic to Tom Robinson's plight because he chose Atticus, probably the only man in town who would do his best to defend Robinson, as the public defender in the case.    In chapter 9, Atticus tells Uncle Jack that he had hoped to "get through life without a case of this kind,"  but that John Taylor had chosen him for the case.

The judge in the murder trial was Judge Taylor. He was known to run his court "with alarming informality", and lin appearance looked like most judges Jem had ever seen, "amiable, white-haired, slightly ruddy-faced" (Chapter 16).  He was "a man learned in the law, and although he seemed to take his job casually, in reality he kept a firm grip on any proceedings that came before him" (Chapter 16).

Judge Taylor was familiar with the eccentricities of the town.  It seemed he would be a good choice to handle the situation at hand.