Richard Elihu Sloan - Prescott

Prescott

After leaving the bench Sloan also left Tucson, later noting that "Had the business outlook been more encouraging I should have remained." He relocated to Prescott and returned to private practice. On June 26, 1897, recently inaugurated President William McKinley nominated him for the seat in Arizona's 4th judicial district. Sloan was commissioned by the U.S. Senate on July 8, 1897. His four-year term was twice renewed by President Theodore Roosevelt, on December 12, 1901 and February 26, 1906.

While serving on the bench, Sloan issued legal opinions on a wide variety of issues. In Slosser v. Salt River Canal Company (1901), 7 Arizona 376 and Gould v. Maricopa Canal Company (1904), 8 Arizona 429 he established important precedents in water rights. Holderman v. Arizona (1900), 7 Arizona 120 in turn upheld a murder conviction against two brothers with Sloan's opinion determining that if a judge used a jury during a trial the jury's decision was only advisory. The cases of Steinfeld v. Zeckendorf (1906), 10 Arizona 221, Kinsley v. New Vulture Mining Company (1907), 11 Arizona 66, and Steinfeld v. Zeckendorf (1909), 12 Arizona 245 all involved disputes over mine ownership while United States v. Griswald (1904), 8 Arizona 453 dealt with the postmaster of Nogales losing a registered package containing US$2,000 and McPherson v. Hattich (1906), 10 Arizona 104 involved a contract dispute between a property owner and an architect.

A recurring theme in a number of cases was getting attorneys to specify errors when they filed appeals was a recurring problem. In Daggs v. Phoenix National Bank (1898), 5 Arizona 409 the judge wrote:

At the outset we are compelled to call attention to the omission of counsel to comply with the statue and rules of this court on the subject of assignment of error. These are imperative, and must be observed. It is not our business to search the record if perchance we may find reversible error. It is our duty to examine into such alleged errors, and only such, as are distinctly pointed out in the record.

Financial cases were also among Sloan's opinions with Gage v. McCord (1898), 5 Arizona 227 and Bravin v. Mayor of Tombstone (1899), 6 Arizona 212 dealing with the validity of territorial debts. Utter v. Franklin (1901), 7 Arizona 300 confirmed the validity of some railroad bonds issued in 1883. County of Cochise v. Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company (1903), 8 Arizona 221, County of Cochise v. Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company (1904), 8 Arizona 459, Board of Supervisors of Yavapai County v. Territory of Arizona (1906), 9 Arizona 405, and United Globe Mines v. Gila County (1909), 12 Arizona 217 all dealt with property taxes.

In addition to his other duties, Sloan was appointed in December 1900 by Governor Oakes Murphy to a commission chartered to revise the territorial legal code. The recommendations of the commission were enacted into law, with only minor changes, by the 21st Arizona Territorial Legislature. As delegate to 1908 Republican National Convention, Sloan helped raise issue of Arizona statehood.