The Hon. Elroy A. James is a judge for the First City Court of Orleans Parish in Louisiana. He was elected to the bench in 2023.
The First City Court includes the Eastbank of Orleans Parish.
James received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern University and A&M College in 1996. He then completed a J.D. at Southern University Law Center (2000) and an LL.M. at Georgetown Law Center (2003). While a law student, James sat as Articles Editor of the Law Review and was a judicial law clerk for Division M of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court.
James began his legal career as a tax associate at Baldwin, Haspel, Burke & Mayer in 2003, where he handled estate planning and advised on business tax matters. Then, in 2005, he became a tax credit attorney for the Housing Authority of New Orleans, though his time there was brief. The following year, James joined the Louisiana Department of Revenue as a tax policy attorney, where he remained for the next five years. In 2012, he joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in Houston, Texas, before returning to Louisiana in 2016. It was at that time, that James began a seven-year tenure as an assistant attorney general for the Louisiana Department of Justice, remaining in that capacity until his election to the bench.
The youngest of three children, James is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. A fan of live music, he began playing the trumpet in elementary school and was a drum major and trumpet section leader for his Jr. High School Band.
James is registered as a Democrat.