The body of Sheila Abdus-Salaam, the first black woman appointed to New York State's highest court, was found along the Hudson River Wednesday.
A trailblazing black female judge has been found dead in a New York City river in an apparent suicide.
The body of Sheila Abdus-Salaam, the first African-American woman appointed to New York State's highest court, was found along the Hudson River Wednesday, the day after her husband reported her missing.
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Abdus-Salaam, a Columbia Law School graduate, was also the first female Muslim judge in America.
Abdus-Salaam was appointed in 2013 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who 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."
Cuomo praised the nominee's "working-class roots" when he tapped Abdus-Salaam for the bench. The 65-year-old grew up as one of seven children in Washington, D.C.
Abdus-Salaam's remains were identified by her husband Wednesday.
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Police said there were no signs of trauma on her body and she was fully clothed.
NYPD sources told CNN that Abdus-Salaam committed suicide, citing recent stress she was experiencing at work.
She was also distraught over the suicide of her brother three years ago around the same time of the year and the death of her mother last year, according to The New York Times.
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