The historical significance of being named as the second Black woman to serve on New York State's highest court, the Court of Appeals, is not lost on Justice Shirley Troutman.
"Surreal, is the short answer," Troutman told WBFO during a recent interview.
For the Buffalo native, it's the latest step in a rising career that began as Buffalo City Court Judge, Erie County Court Judge and, most recently, the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court.
"The Court (of Appeals) is 175 years old and I've also learned that I'm the tenth woman to sit on the Court.," Troutman said.
"The thing that I learned in my very first court, which is Buffalo City Court, is that there's greater flexibility with respect with what you could do as related to sentencing and one could be more creative and as a result people could go away without having a criminal conviction or that which would hinder them from becoming productive citizens," Troutman reflected.
"As I moved up, to Superior Court sitting in Erie County Court, the decisions became much more weighty. I do recall when I imposed my first double-digit sentence. It is amazing to me the power an individual can have over another individual's life. So, it is not something I took lightly, from the first to the last sentence I imposed on the trial court."
Troutman says her focus continued to change as she moved up the judicial ladder.
"On the Appellate Division, we had what's called 'Interest of Justice Jurisdiction' that will not exist on the Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals is a court of law. The short answer to the question that you originally asked is as I've moved up the progression, the discretion has become more narrow."