Judge Angela R. Taylor was born in Tallahassee, Florida in 1958. She is the oldest daughter of Thomasina Hill Taylor, a retired registered nurse, and the late Arthur Robert Taylor who was a Presbyterian Minister. She has one sister, Deborah Joyce Taylor who works for the State of North Carolina.

Judge Taylor graduated from Sumter High School as an honor graduate in 1976. After graduating from high school, Judge Taylor attended the University of South Carolina where she majored in Government and International Studies. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, Judge Taylor attended the University of South Carolina School of Law where she received her Juris Doctorate in 1983.

Judge Taylor was first employed as a Reginald Heber Smith Community Law Fellow at Three Rivers Legal Services in Lake City, Florida. She remained in Lake City for one year. She was then employed at the Neighborhood Legal Assistance Program in Conway, South Carolina from 1984 until 1985. In 1985, Judge Taylor was employed as the first full time Family Court Assistant Solicitor for the Third Judicial Circuit.  In that capacity, she prosecuted juvenile cases in Sumter, Lee and Clarendon Counties. She was also responsible for the prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases for the Department of Social Services in those counties as well. Judge Taylor continued to serve as a full time Assistant Solicitor responsible for the juvenile prosecutions until 1987 when she changed her status to a part time juvenile prosecutor. She has continued to serve as a juvenile prosecutor from 1987 until present. Judge Taylor also served as the attorney for the Department of Social Services; first as a full time Assistant Solicitor and then as a contract attorney for the Department of Social Services until 2005. She worked as an associate in the Law Office of Larry C. Weston from 1987 until 1997. In 1997, she opened her own practice where she is a solo practitioner. In her practice, she handled primarily family law cases. Judge Taylor has been the recipient of several awards to include the Tribute to Women in Industry in 1987; the Compleat Lawyer Award in 1997; The American Society on the Abuse of Children, Legal Award in 2001 and The James T. McCain Humanitarian Award in 2001.

Judge Taylor has served on several committees in her community to include the Sumter County Alliance of Law Enforcement, Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, Young Lawyer's Domestic Violence Committee, Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, Board of Directors of the United Way, the South Carolina Bar Foundation and the Mid-Carolina Commission on Higher Education. Judge Taylor is a member of Mt. Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church. She sings on the Gospel Choir, serves as a Steward.

In her free time, Judge Taylor enjoys reading, movies and gardening. She aspires to become a Master Gardener upon her retirement.