New supervising judge takes the reins in Queens Family Court

As a part of a leadership shuffle for New York City’s family courts, judicial leaders have named Gigi Parris as the new supervising judge for family matters in Queens.

Parris comes to the new role after sitting as a Bronx Family Court judge, succeeding Judge Alicea Elloras-Ally, who is making a lateral to the bench in Manhattan. Elloras-Ally is filling a vacancy left there by Judge Karen Lupuloff’s retirement, per a statement by the Office of Court Administration.

“I am committed to ensuring that every case is handled with fairness, compassion and dignity, and eager to collaborate with the Court’s hardworking judges and non-judicial personnel to best serve the justice needs of Queens County’s children and families,” Parris said in the statement.

Family courts handle a wide range of sensitive matters, including child custody and protective matters, juvenile delinquency, guardianships and adoptions.

Parris is being put in charge of a court that has in recent years seen steady growth in the cases it handles.

According to court system data, the Queens Family Court’s caseload grew from more than 29,202 in 2022 to 36,162 in 2024. As of Nov. 20, the court reported 29,193 pending matters, making it the fourth busiest venue in the state, behind the Bronx, Brooklyn and Suffolk County.

A 2007 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Parris worked as an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, then as a staff attorney at the Bronx Defenders, and later a supervising attorney at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem.

Parris has also worked as a court attorney in Bronx and Queens family courts and has been on the bench in the Big Apple since 2021.