The First Woman Muslim Judge In The US Has Been Found Dead In A New York River

Hans Pennink / AP

The body of Sheila Abdus-Salaam, the first Muslim woman judge in the US, was found Wednesday along the Hudson River in Manhattan.

Abdus-Salaam, 65, sat on the New York Court of Appeals, and was the first black woman to rise to that bench. The New York Police Department told BuzzFeed News her cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner, but there were no signs of injury or trauma to her body.

Abdus-Salaam had been reported missing by her husband on Tuesday, police said. The New York Post reported her death appeared to be suicide.

She was born in Washington, DC, attending public schools there, then moving to New York to attend Barnard College, according to the New York State Courts. She received her law degree from Columbia University in 1977, then went to work at East Brooklyn Legal Services as a staff attorney.

Abdus-Salaam was elected as a judge in New York City in 1991, then in 1993 was elected to New York County's Supreme Court. Gov. David Paterson appointed her to the state's appellate division in 2009, and in 2013 she was appointed and confirmed to the Court of Appeals, the state's highest court.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo described her as a trailblazer who sought to make New York more just and fair for all.

"Through her writings, her wisdom, and her unshakable moral compass, she was a force for good whose legacy will be felt for years to come," Cuomo said in a statement. "I was proud to appoint her to the state’s highest court and am deeply saddened by her passing. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend my deepest sympathies to her family, loved ones and colleagues during this trying and difficult time."

Last year, Abdus-Salaam wrote the court's majority opinion in a case that redefined parental rights to protect LGBT parents without biological ties to their children.

"We owe her a tremendous debt of gratitude," said a statement from Lamda Legal, which had brought the case. "She touched the lives of many New Yorkers; her legacy will live on."

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