I have a judgement against me from a previous landlord, I have made minimal payments primarily due to lack of employment , I have some payments that I can . I need to know if it is legal for the judge to order me to turn over my federal tax refund without taking other steps to collect the debt. I am now working, aren't there steps to take before taking my refund , like garnishing my wages that need to be done first? Please help my refund was being used to pay for our upcoming wedding...

No, often the first thing at this time of year is garnishment of income tax. There is no required order, only best ways of getting the money.

Of course if you are getting a large refund, you should have just paid it to them anyway, since you owe the debt and have a judgement.

A judge's order is tantamount to a garnishment. The only thing more that the creditor can do is get a writ of execution and file it with the IRS so the refund is paid directly to the creditor. If a judge issued an order and you defy that order you can be jailed for contempt of court.