In 2022, Judge Troutman was appointed to the Court of Appeals. See her full biography HERE.
Shirley Troutman was designated to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on February 19, 2016.
She previously served as a trial judge in New York State Supreme Court, assigned to the 8th Judicial District, where she handled matrimonial and general civil litigation 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. Additionally, she served as 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. She has served as a Lecturer for the New York State Judicial Institute, as well as at various CLE programs and seminars, including serving 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 is co-chair of the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, appointed by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore. The Commission is responsible for developing programs to improve the perception of fairness within the court system and to help ensure equal justice in New York State. She is also a member of the Ethics Commission of the New York State Unified Court System and serves as a Faculty Member of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics. She has received the following honors: 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.