Comment on Judge Taylor's attitude to his job. Does he take the trial seriously or not?

What we can surmise in Chapter 16 is that Judge Taylor not only took his court seriously, he understood the people in it. He understood that frequently people just felt the need to air their disagreements rather than litigate (ie the Cunningham case). He is a sober clear thinking judge and, like Atticus, strives for justice. Judge Taylor gives Atticus the Robinson case in the first place so Tom could at least have a fighting chance with a white jury filled with bigotry.

yes he does

No

Although, Judge Taylor looks and acts tardy, he does take his job very seriously. For example, the judge made sure that Tom got the best deffence lawyer, Atticus, to make the trial fair. This shows that he fights for justice. He also shuts down indecent behaviour and makes everyone stick to the rules. For instance, '...within the confines of English Christian Language usage...', is what he says to Bob Ewell when he steps out of line.