The law west of Oak Creek is increasingly in the hands of the indigenous people of the Verde Valley, who are from the Verde Valley in Cottonwood, who was appointed as deputy magistrate of Sedona Magistrate Court by the Sedona City Council on March 25th.

Mayor Anette Spickard said on March 27 that Riordan’s appointment will be temporary to cover for Judge Paul Schlegel while Schlegel is absent due to knee surgery.

Riordan became Cottonwood’s Associate Magistrate on October 25, 2013, and began serving as a court administrator in 2017.

In her capacity as a court administrator, Riordan and chairman Katherine J. Kelly sought a $159,750 Vitalyst Health Foundation grant in October 2019, “a very non-traditional court compliance officer within the court system and will focus on working with the defendant’s vulnerable community, reducing hygiene and criminal activity.”

Additionally, Riordan was appointed Deputy Magistrate and Court Administrator at Clarkdale on February 22, 2022, and on April 1, 2024, a two-year term under an intergovernmental agreement with Cottonwood.

On December 20, 2024, Riordan was appointed the Yabapai County Juvenile Hearing Officer next year, serving unpaid, and on January 1, the Superior Court appointed Peace Protempole Justice in all Yabapai County’s precincts.

“City Court Judges – Magistrates – hear of misdemeanor criminal traffic cases such as alcohol, hits, and reckless driving that do not cause serious injuries,” the Arizona Judicial Department website said. “They hear civil traffic cases, violations of city ordinances and codes, and issue protection and injunction orders that prohibit harassment. They can also issue search warrants. They do not hear civil lawsuits between citizens.

“City charters or regulations establish the qualifications of these judges, and some cities do not require city court judges to be lawyers.

“The city courts have criminal jurisdiction over misdemeanor and minor offences committed in a city or town. They share jurisdiction with the courts of justice over violations of state law committed within the city or town.”

Riordan, a graduate of Mingus Union High School in 1975, was recognized by the Supreme Court’s Committee on Legal Documents on May 20, 2003. She is not permitted to bars in Arizona that are not a requirement under the Arizona Constitution or Sedona City Act.

Riordan is the granddaughter of early Sedona settlers Chauncey Leeroy and Della Piper, and is equipped with 45 acres in the current chapel area and lives in a log cabin at the foot of the twins’ butts from 1931 to 1941. Her uncle, Fred Piper [July 24, 1925 — May 24, 2022]the Boeing B-17 flight fortress turret during World War II, and the last surviving Sedona World War II veteran, frequently presented at the Heritage Museum in Sedona.

The City of Sedona and Sedona Magistrates Courts did not provide details on Riordan’s background or confirm the date she will serve.

Riordan did not respond to requests for comment.