ALBANY – Chief Judge Janet DiFiore on Wednesday named two justices to a judicial commission that works to promote participation and equal justice for minorities in the state's court system.

Justices Shirley Troutman, who was appointed to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, in 2016, and Troy K. Webber, who was appointed to the Appellate Division, First Department, in 2016, were appointed by DiFiore to the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission.

“We are fortunate to have two such distinguished jurists to serve as the new co-chairs of the Franklin H. Williams Commission. I have every confidence that they will provide outstanding direction and leadership in advancing the commission's work and mission, which are so critical to the well-being of our justice system,” DiFiore said in a statement.

Prior to being appointed to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, Troutman had served as a trial judge in state Supreme Court in the Eighth Judicial District. Webber had previously sat in state Supreme Court, Bronx County-criminal term prior to being elevated to the Appellate Division.

The commission, previously named the New York State Judicial Commission on Minorities, was created in 1988 to study minority participation in the courts and the legal system, according to the commission's website. Franklin H. Williams, for whom the commission is now named, was an attorney and civil rights leader who represented the Legal Defense and education fund of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, assisting then-NAACP special counsel Thurgood Marshall, and was first chair of the committee. WIlliams died in 1990.

DiFiore also announced that Richard Lowe, the presiding justice for the Appellate Term, First Department, will be stepping down as chair of the commission. Lowe has led the commission since December 2015, the New York State Unified Court System said in a news release.

In a statement, DiFiore thanked Lowe for his time leading the commission, which “continued to thrive during his tenure as chair, maintaining its standing as a model for court systems around the country.”