After a distinguished 35-year career in law, including a decade serving as an assistant district attorney for Liberty County, Steve Taylor retired this week. A party in his honor was held Thursday, May 30, in the 253rd State District Courtroom in the Liberty County Courthouse.
Taylor announced his retirement, attributing the decision to a stroke he experienced in March 2024, which led to an extended absence from work.
“I had been talking about retirement as I was eligible, but the stroke hurried along the decision-making process,” he said. “Of course, I was a little reluctant to go ahead and do it, everyone is, but it was time.”
Taylor, aged 74, of Conroe, embarked on his law career at the late age of 39 in 1989, a departure from his previous work developing online order entry systems.
He joined Liberty County during Logan Pickett’s tenure as District Attorney, and has since remained a key figure under the leadership of District Attorney Jennifer Bergman. With roles including first assistant district attorney, assistant district attorney, and appellate chief, Taylor’s extensive experience also encompasses a 25-year career as a defense attorney prior to transitioning to the prosecution side of the legal field.
“I was in private practice doing criminal defense and appellate work in 10 different counties,” Taylor said. “I did seven death penalty cases as a defense attorney prior to becoming an assistant DA.”
His expertise in handling death penalty cases, coupled with his certification to try such cases, led to his selection for handling both death penalty and murder cases in Liberty County. Despite the scarcity of death penalty cases in the area, Taylor elaborated on the reasons behind the rarity of such cases.
“Death penalty cases are very expensive. They never go away and they take a long time from the time of assessing a penalty to the penalty being carried out. Liberty County has just one convicted murderer on death row currently,” he said. That murder suspect, Nelson Wayne Mooney, committed the murder in Liberty County in 1984 and was sentenced in 1987, though he remains in the care of TDCJ as of 2024.
When asked if he has any particular plans for retirement, Taylor said, “Well, I just started retirement, so I am learning.”
In the foreseeable future, Taylor said there is a slight possibility that he may re-enter the legal profession, perhaps in a part-time or limited capacity.
“I won’t be going back to law right now, but I am not ruling it out,” he said.
DA Bergman said she was honored to recognize Taylor’s remarkable career in law.
“Steve’s unwavering commitment to justice, his profound legal expertise and his high ethical standards have made a lasting impact on our community and profession. His legacy of integrity and excellence will continue to inspire us all. We wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement and extend our deepest gratitude for his extraordinary contributions to justice in Liberty County. Lastly, I would like to thank Steve for his many years of friendship and mentorship. I will miss him greatly, more than words could express,” Bergman said.
More photos from his retirement party:
