Sheila Abdus-Salaam, a 65-year-old associate judge on New York State's highest court, was found dead in the Hudson River in New York City. NYC police responded to a report of a person floating by the river bank in upper Manhattan.
She was found fully-clothed, with no signs of trauma on her body according to a law enforcement official. Unconfirmed reports suggest that she had been reported missing earlier.
Abdus-Salaam was one of seven judges on the NY State court of appeals, the highest court in the state. She took the post in 2013 after previously serving 15 years on the state supreme court.
She became the first female Muslim judge in the entire country in 1994 and the first African-American woman to serve on NY's highest court after appointment by democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo.
