The death of
the first female Muslim U.S. judge—who was found dead last week on the banks of
New York’s Hudson River--- is still being investigated and is reportedly
considered suspicious.
Sheila
Abdus-Salaam's body was discovered along the riverside near Harlem on
Wednesday, a day after she was reported missing, police said. Police said her
body showed no obvious signs of trauma.
Police sources told CBS2 that family and
friends have said she was struggling with depression. Police told the station
that although her death is being considered suspicious, there are no signs
of criminality.
Abdus-Salaam,
who was 65 years old, graduated from Barnard College and received her law
degree from Columbia Law School. She started her career as a staff attorney for
East Brooklyn Legal Services and served as a judge in Manhattan state Supreme
Court for 14 years, according to the state Office of Court Administration's
website.
Democratic
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who appointed Abdus-Salaam to the state's Court of Appeals
in 2013, called her a "trailblazing jurist."
"As the
first African-American woman to be appointed to the state's Court of Appeals,
she was a pioneer," Cuomo said. "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."
Chief Judge
Janet DiFiore said her colleague will be "missed deeply."
"Her
personal warmth, uncompromising sense of fairness and bright legal mind were an
inspiration to all of us who had the good fortune to know her," DiFiore
said.
Former Chief
Judge Jonathan Lippman said he knew Abdus-Salaam for many years. He said her
death of was "difficult to understand."
"The
court has suffered a terrible blow," he said.
A P/ Fox News
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