Taylor Town Council YANKS Black Robe From Municipal Judge

Rickey Stokes

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Posted by: RStokes
Date: Dec 27 2016 8:47 PM

TAYLOR:     This past Tuesday evening the Taylor Town Council voted to YANK THE black Judge's robe from their Municipal Court Judge Doug Bates.

The Town Council yanked the robe from Bates and effective January 1, 2017 Attorney Forrest Taylor will become the new Taylor Municipal Court Judge.

Forest Taylor is a long time civil practicing attorney with The Cochran Firm in Dothan. Taylor has very limited criminal trial experience, but he does have fairnesss, honesty and respect. Taylor will be able to listen to the facts and circumstances presented in the case, weight the evidence, and render a fair and just verdict in cases.

Bates served as the second of two Municipal Judges when the City of Dothan Commission hired Rose Evans Gordon as Dothan Municipal Judge. The first of the two was Attorney Mike Brown. At the time of Evans-Gordon appointment Brown served as Presiding Municipal Court Judge.

Both Bates and Brown served as Acting Municipal Court Judges when they were legally appointed by the Mayor of the City of Dothan.

Bates also served as Municipal Court Judge in Ashford, Cottonwood and Taylor.

The Ashford City Council was the first to yank the black robe from Bates. Now the Town of Taylor has followed. And currently that leaves Bates only as a Judge in Cottonwood.

Wearing the black robe comes with responsibility. That responsibility is to be fair and just, treat people with dignity and respect. And when a person stops treating people with dignity and respect then it is time for the robe to be yanked from the person wearing it.

A black robe does not make you a god over people, but a person with responsibility.

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