MITCHELL SCHMIDT
State Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor said she knew from an early age she wanted to pursue a career in law, citing her long-held interest in “advocacy, particularly for who I perceived to be the underdog.”
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As an appeals court judge, Chris Taylor said, she strives "to make sure that I am listening and considering the positions of individuals and doing everything I can to deliver justice in a way that is impartial, that is fair, and that I'm applying the law as accurately as I can."
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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