Justice Shirley Troutman Named Co-Chair of Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission
June 06, 2018

Associate Justice Shirly Troutman

On February 21, 2018, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, in consultation with Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks, appointed Appellate Division, Fourth Department Justice Shirley Troutman Co-Chair of the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, alongside First Department Justice Troy K. Webber. Created in 1988, the Commission educates and advises decision makers in the New York State Court System on issues affecting both employees and litigants of color, and implements recommendations developed to address those issues.

Before being appointed to the Fourth Department in February 2016, Justice Troutman served as a trial judge in the 8th Judicial District, where she handled matrimonials and general civil litigations matters. Prior to her election to Supreme Court, Justice Troutman was a County Court Judge, where she handled felony criminal cases, appeals and civil matters, and a City Court Judge, where she presided over criminal and civil cases within that court's jurisdiction. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, as a Lecturer of the New York State Judicial Institute, and as a Faculty Member for the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence. Prior to joining the bench, Justice Troutman was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of New York, Assistant State Attorney General and an Assistant District Attorney. Justice Troutman received a B.S. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University. She is also designated as an Advanced Science Technology and Resource (ASTAR) fellow, which is a program sponsored by the United States Department of Justice. As an ASTAR fellow she serves as a resource judge for members of the judiciary of New York State handling complex cases involving scientific evidence. Justice Troutman has been honored with the M. Dolores Denman Award - WNY Chapter of WBASNY, Legal Service Award - Minority Bar Association of WNY, Achievement Award - Committee on Women in the Courts and Local Specialty Bar Associations, and numerous other recognitions.

A welcome reception for Justices Troutman and Webber, along with the new members of the Commission, will be held on Thursday, June 28, 2018 from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. at The Curtiss Hotel - Franklin Vue, 210 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202. RSVP to fhwilliams@nycourts.gov by June 20 to register.

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