65-yr-old 1st female Muslim judge in US found dead in river

The body of Shelia Abdus-Salaam, 65, the first female Muslim judge in the United States’, Shelia Abdus-Salaam, 65, has beeb found dead in the Hudson River near Manhattan, in New York.

According to reports, Shelia Abdus-Salaam had been reported missing earlier in the day before her body was found in the river, when her husband confirmed her identity.

Jonathan Lippman, who once served as the chief judge of the state Court of Appeals from 2009 to 2015, said Abdus-Salaam’s death is a ‘terrible blow’.

“I’m deeply saddened at having lost a dear friend and colleague, and the court has suffered a terrible blow”.

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“She was a superb jurist and an even more superb human being,” he continued. “I knew her for many, many years. To some degree, we grew up together in the court. I’ve known her in all her different roles in the court. It’s just so shocking … If you ask anyone about her, people would say only the most wonderful things. That’s why it makes it even more difficult to understand.”

The black judge Abdus-Salaam served as an associate judge of the Court of Appeals and was the first African-American woman to serve on New York’s top court.

According to reports, there was no visible signs of trauma or physical injuries suggesting foul play. Police are still investigating.

 

 

 

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