On June 17, after 32 years of working for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Presiding Judge Darayne Achin has officially retired, capping off a highly decorated career.

“I didn’t work until I got married; I was a teacher’s aide at the Mesa Public Schools for a couple of years. Then I came over here to the Day School, where I stayed for seven years,” said Achin. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do at that time. Teaching was very interesting to me—I liked the kids, and I was in my Community. That was my main goal, to work in my Community,” added Achin.

Achin began her legal career by assisting her father, Raymond Juan Sr. (baḍ), in transcribing notes from Community Council meetings.

“My father would ask me to write [documents] that the Council would request of him. I was only 14 at the time, but I guess I had a gift for words, because Council [at that time] allowed me to help him,” she said.

Achin assisted her family and Community in a variety of different ways, no matter the situation. “When things happened, everybody always came to me to ask for advice, especially when it came to money. I don’t know why. I just had a knack for thinking legally. It was just common sense to me,” she said.

As the years went on, Achin continued to be a pillar of her Community. When Achin’s sister was in the middle of divorce proceedings, she asked Achin to assist her and become her court advocate. “I was a parent aide at the time. I would give reports on the family dynamics. We call it a juvenile probation officer now,” Achin stated. “I was really excited to help her. I would wake up at 1 a.m., grab my notepad and write notes and questions [that could help my sister].”

Her sister’s divorce required additional legal assistance. “My sister needed more help, so she went to Gila River and spoke with their attorney,” said Achin. When Gila River’s attorney reviewed the court documents Achin had prepared, he found himself impressed with how well-written they were. “He asked her, ‘Who did this for you?’ and my sister said, ‘My sister.’ The attorney said, ‘Wow. Where did she go to law school?’” recalled Achin with chuckle. “My sister said, ‘She didn’t.’ I did eventually go to law school, but [at that time] I had enough smarts to figure it out,” she said.

That proved to be a turning point for Achin, as her judicial career began to take off. “That set off an idea in my head, so I kept going,” she said.

Achin continued to serve the Community by working for the Salt River Police Department and Casino Arizona. “The police department would give me a lot of outside information on law. [They showed me] certain keywords and how to utilize [the SRPD] expressions,” she said.

“I was at the casino for six years as well. Then, two judgeship positions opened. One was for domestic violence and the other was for civil [cases],” recalled Achin. “They appointed me to the civil judgeship.”

Achin recalled experiencing many nerves during her first year on the bench for the Community, in 2004, but as the years progressed, she learned how to thrive in her role as presiding judge. “I saw the Community grow. I saw so many changes. I soon realized that what happens out [in the city] eventually makes its way into the Community,” she said.

In her 32 years of service, Achin shared nothing but positive feedback when reminiscing about all of the cases she’s decided and all of the people she has helped.

Her final day working for the Community was June 17. During the SRPMIC Council meeting in Lehi on June 12, one of Judge Achin’s last duties for the Community was administering the oath of office to three new judges: Licensed Judge Joshua Heath, Associate Judge Janaya Johnson and Associate Judge Aristina Sanchez.

On June 12, Achin’s colleagues and staff hosted a celebratory luncheon for her at the SRPMIC Justice Center.

Now that she’s retired, what does she plan to do with all of her newfound free time?

“I want to learn the guitar and piano. Now I have the means and time to learn. Being my age now, though, I find myself gravitating toward the basics of O’odham living. I haven’t made tortillas in over 20 years. But I’ve started getting the drive to do that,” admitted Achin.

She also is looking forward to speaking more of the O’odham language with her family, and especially with her son, Cody. “He tells me, ‘We’re going to speak O’odham all day, and by the end of the year, that’s all we’ll speak’—and we do. My husband is picking up on some of the language,” she said.

Though Judge Achin’s work for the Community has come to an end, her availability and approachability remain the same, key aspects that Achin prides herself on. “I just always wanted to be someone a person could approach. [Just] to say hello or to tell me how their life is going. I just like to hear from people and how they’re doing,” she said.