A pioneering judge, who became the first Muslim woman in US history to serve on the bench, was found dead Wednesday — washed up on the Manhattan side of the Hudson River, sources said.
Sheila Abdus-Salaam, 65, was discovered floating in the water near 132nd Street and Hudson Parkway at around 1:45 p.m., according to police sources.
Witnesses had spotted her fully clothed body and called 911, cops said.
Sources told The Post that Abdus-Salaam, who is an associate judge of the Court of Appeals, had been reported missing from her home in Harlem earlier in the day.
Her husband later identified her body. Sources said it showed no obvious signs of trauma or injuries indicating criminality or foul play, and that her death appeared to be a suicide.
“Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam was a trailblazing jurist whose life in public service was in pursuit of a more fair and more just New York for all,” Gov. Cuomo wrote in a statement Wednesday night.
“She was a pioneer,” he 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. I was proud to appoint her to the state’s highest court and am deeply saddened by her passing.”
In addition to being the country’s first Muslim female judge, Abdus-Salaam was the first ever African-American woman to be appointed to the state’s Court of Appeals.
After receiving her degree from Columbia Law School, she began her legal career working as a staff attorney at East Brooklyn Legal Services. Abdus-Salaam rose through the state ranks before eventually being elected to the Supreme Court in 1993.
The first female Mulism American judge was found dead Wednesday in the Hudson River in New York City.
Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam, 65, was spotted floating in the river near 132nd Street and Hudson Parkway Wednesday afternoon, the NYPD reported.
Abdus-Salaam was an associate justice on the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest judicial body.
Born Sheila Turner, Abdus-Salaam was the first black woman to serve on the NY Court of Appeals and the first Muslim woman justice in America.
Relatives reported Abdus-Salaam missing from her home in Harlem earlier on Wednesday.
Police say no signs of violence or evidence of foul play have been found as of yet.
Governor Cuomo hailed Abdus-Salaam as a “pioneer” in a statement released Wednesday night.
“Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam was a trailblazing jurist whose life in public service was in pursuit of a more fair and more just New York 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. I was proud to appoint her to the state’s highest court and am deeply saddened by her passing.”