Riggs appointed Maricopa’s interim city magistrate

Judge Lyle Riggs was appointed as the interim presiding judge for the Maricopa Municipal Court during the city council meeting on Tuesday.

The city cannot make a permanent appointment until the Arizona Supreme Court relinquishes control. Riggs already serves as justice of the peace.

The city has been using an interim presiding judge since Judge Scott Sulley resigned his position in 2014. Judge Tresa Georgini was only given six month contracts for her work on the bench. At the end of Riggs’ six months, the situation may change.

“The mayor and council would like to find a permanent judge for that position at some point, but right now this saves the city money,” Maricopa City Manager Gregory Rose said. “The contract is for six months. After the contract period ends, the council will make a decision on how to move forward with the position.”

The state Supreme Court has managed the courts since the controversy with Sulley, who was disbarred, but the city has been working hard in order to regain control of the municipal court. There is no timeframe on when that will happen, but Mayor Christian Price is hopeful it will happen soon.

Sulley was justice of the peace for the Maricopa/Stanfield Justice Court and city magistrate in the Maricopa Municipal Court. Riggs was elected justice of the peace last year, but the magistrate position has remained a work in progress.

“Judge Riggs and his team have done a great job taking over a bad situation,” Price said. “Right now, under the whole mess before, the Supreme Court still has control over our courts. Until that is relinquished, we are stuck on an interim basis. This is the first time we’ve had approval to appoint our own interim judge, though, but we won’t be able to fill the position permanently until we have control of our courts.”

The city chose to appoint Judge Riggs on an interim basis out of respect to his body of work and convenience of his position, the mayor said. He is already in the courthouse, so the city saves money on renting space and appointing a new position.

However, convenience isn’t the only factor involved. If the city regained control of its court, Riggs would be a top contender for the permanent position.

“It works out well with Judge Riggs right now,” Price said. “I see this as a six-month interview. His performance will determine how we move forward. We may decide to do a national search to fill the position one day, or we may stay in-house.”

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