September 2025 Member Spotlight:
Hon. Debra Givens

For the month of September, we are honored to spotlight Hon. Debra Givens, who currently presides in the New York Supreme Court 8th Judicial District and assumed office in 2021. Judge Givens is a judge in the New York State Court of Claims, appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo from 2021 to 2024 and re-appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul from 2024 to 2033.

Strong Commitment to Serving Western New York Community

Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Judge Givens has focused her career on building the community in and around Buffalo.

Judge Givens spent many years as a sitting Buffalo City Court Judge; she was first appointed to the Buffalo City Court Bench in 2002 by Mayor Anthony Masiello. Additionally, sitting as an Erie County Acting Judge and Erie County Family Court Acting Judge, Judge Givens has dedicated herself to integrity and fairness under the law. 

Judge Givens is an alumna of the University of Buffalo School of Law.

A Career Filled With Critical Roles

Prior to becoming a Buffalo City Court Judge, she spent 15 years serving as a Matrimonial and Family Law attorney as well as a Family Court Support Magistrate. Judge Givens was first appointed to the Buffalo City Court Bench in 2002 by Mayor Anthony Masiello. In 2003 she won re-election for the full ten-year term, and was reelected in 2013.

During her tenure as a City Court Judge, Hon. Givens presided over the Domestic Violence Court, and she was designated as Acting Judge for the Erie County Court and the Erie County Family Court. In addition to these critical roles, she has served as co-judge of the Opiate Treatment Court and the Adolescent Diversion Program Court.

Judge Debra Givens has experience on the bench involving cases in Drug Court and Mental Health Court, as well as criminal cases of original jurisdiction and Supreme Court civil transfers. As a result of her service, Judge Givens was one of only 25 judges appointed to the NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics.

Dedication to Charities, Neighborhood Groups, Boards

In addition to administering justice with fairness and integrity throughout her career, Judge Givens has invested her personal time into her community through charities and neighborhood groups.

She has served on the Board of the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers Inc., the Food Bank of Western New York, the Humboldt YMCA and the Ujima Theatre Company. As a past president of the Buffalo Chapter of The Links Incorporated, she led the organization in providing educational and artistic enrichment to underserved communities and in providing informational health and human services programming.