The Honorable Geoffrey A. Gaither
Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
The Honorable Geoffrey A. Gaither is the Presiding Judge in the Marion County Family Division Court room 9 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was formerly the Senior Magistrate at Indianapolis Juvenile Court before being appointed as Judge in 2020. Judge Gaither’s jurisdiction includes delinquencies, child welfare, paternities, guardianships, adoptions, child support, custody cases, divorces, dependency cases, protective orders and dual status cases.
Community involvement is extremely important to Judge Gaither. He is a former adjunct professor at IUPUI and Martin University, youth mentor, motivational speaker, guest lecturer, Marion County Juvenile Court representative at the Undoing Racism workshops, created the “Is Indianapolis Another Ferguson?” forum and radio, TV, print and podcast legal analyst. He has been recognized many times locally and nationally for his community service and dedication to children and families. Judge Gaither developed a much-needed program entitled The Young Women’s Empowerment Conference Series benefiting young women on probation or otherwise involved in the juvenile justice system. He also created the Young Men’s Empowerment Conference which is a young men’s focused event that emphasizes the value of mentorship to educational and career success. Judge Gaither was the catalyst for the Indy Mentoring Network which is a collaboration of city-wide mentoring groups coming together for a common purpose. Judge Gaither has hosted the 100 Black Men of Indianapolis’ Beautillion Militaire “Know Your Legal Rights” session several times, served as their mentor and moderated public discussions on community issues.
The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice invited Judge Gaither to serve on its National Dual Status Youth Practice Network in Spring 2016. This prestigious organization focuses on children with delinquency, neglect, abuse and/or dependency cases at the same time. Judge Gaither now leads the Dual Status Court in Indianapolis, Indiana. In this capacity, Judge Gaither has traveled across the country making presentations and providing technical assistance to other jurisdictions on Dual Status and related issues. He currently serves on the state-wide Indiana Dual Status Implementation Committee, Indiana Department of Department of Child Services Race Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council, Indiana Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative State Steering Committee, Marion County Juvenile Court Race Equity Inclusion Committee, serves on the National Board of Directors for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Indianapolis Commission on African American Males.
Inspiring and influencing youth through education is important to Judge Gaither. He helped develop the Urban Initiative Hi5 Rallies at local schools empowering young people to take ownership of their educational careers. Male volunteers form two lines at the school’s entrance and high five students at the start of the school day.
Judge Gaither is Hoosier born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a proud public school graduate. Judge Gaither earned his Bachelor of Urban Planning degree from the University of Cincinnati and then later received his Juris Doctor degree with honors from Howard University School o Law. Judge Gaither was an editor and published author on the Howard Law Journal. After graduation, he clerked for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and is a former Marion County deputy prosecutor, deputy public defender and was in private practice before being sworn onto the bench.
Judge Gaither is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc. and the 100 Black Men of Indianapolis. He is also married to Attorney KiKi Gaither, current host of WTLC AM 1310’s “The Legal Word with Attorney KiKi Gaither.” They have 3 adult sons: Jordan, Taylor and Austin and are members of Phillips Temple CME Church.