380:, and added that she had been struggling with depression. On April 18, however, police told reporters that the death was considered "suspicious" due to the lack of witnesses and lack of a suicide note. An autopsy, while reaching no conclusion about the cause of Abdus-Salaam's death, found bruises on her neck and water in her lungs; this data indicated that she had likely been alive when she entered the river. The bruising could have been caused by someone choking Abdus-Salaam, or could have resulted from the recovery of her body from the river. On April 21, police said they had recovered video from the night of April 11 that showed Abdus-Salaam, dressed in the clothes in which she was found dead, walking around
348:
to serve as a judge of the New York Court of
Appeals, it appears that these reports were incorrect. Following Abdus-Salaam's death, Court of Appeals spokesperson Gary Spencer stated that she had never converted to Islam, but had merely retained the last name of her first husband. However, in an
271:
Before joining the bench, Abdus-Salaam worked as a staff attorney for
Brooklyn Legal Services and served in the New York State Department of Law as an assistant attorney general in the civil rights and real estate financing bureaus. She subsequently served on the
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announced that its investigation into the death of Abdus-Salaam was complete, and that investigators believed she had committed suicide. The medical examiner concluded that the cause of death was drowning and that the manner of death was suicide.
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article on Abdus-Salaam's death, NBC News described Abdus-Salaam as "the first Muslim woman to serve as a U.S. judge" and added that her family asserted that she " not been a practicing Muslim for 20 years".
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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.
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Abdus-Salaam's religious affiliation has been the subject of conflicting reports. While it was widely reported that Abdus-Salaam was the first
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to fill the resulting vacancy on New York's highest court. She was confirmed by the New York State Senate without opposition in a
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along the Hudson River for hours. Police added that the final images captured by the camera showed her standing near the water.
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337:. Her third husband was Hector Nova, from whom she was divorced in 2005. Abdus-Salaam married her fourth husband,
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in 1970. While researching her family history as a child, she learned that her great-grandfather was a slave in
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1143:"Reports of Suicide Still Swirling, NYPD Now Calls NY Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam's Drowning Death 'Suspicious'"
197:; March 14, 1952 – April 12, 2017) was an American lawyer and judge. In 2013, after having served on the
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Abdus-Salaam was seen as a liberal voice on the bench. In 2016, she authored the opinion of the Court in
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in 1993, and served in that capacity from 1993 to 2009. In 2009, she was designated as a justice of the
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Turner took her first husband's surname, Abdus-Salaam, and retained it during her professional career.
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1343:"What Happened to Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam? How the story of a New York judge's death was botched"
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461:"Hon. Sheila Abdus-Salaam: First African American Woman Appointed to the New York State High Court"
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1276:"Police Close Investigation Into New York Judge's Death, Saying It Was Likely Suicide"
213:(New York's highest court) and was unanimously confirmed as an Associate Judge by the
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on the afternoon of April 12, 2017. Her fully clothed body was found floating in the
291:. She served as an associate justice of the Appellate Division from 2009 until 2013.
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1307:"NYC medical examiner: Judge whose body was found in Hudson River committed suicide"
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530:"Sheila Abdus-Salaam, Judge on New York's Top Court, Is Found Dead in Hudson River"
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901:"First black woman on New York's highest court was a 'trail-blazing jurist'"
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New York State
Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department justices
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On April 13, police stated that the death of Abdus-Salaam appeared to be a
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Appellate
Division of the New York Supreme Court, First Judicial Department
1043:"Appeals court judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam found dead on Hudson River shore"
1074:
Moore, Tina; Celona, Larry; Cohen, Shawn; Perez, Chris (April 12, 2017).
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771:"New York judge's death a possible suicide, law enforcement sources say"
490:"Sheila Abdus-Salaam, a trailblazing judge, found dead in Hudson River"
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835:"NY Top Court Gains 1st Black Woman, Back To Female Majority – Law360"
1012:"United States' first female Muslim judge found dead in Hudson River"
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1210:"NYPD treating death of judge found in Hudson River as 'suspicious'"
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Otis, Ginger Adams; Tracy, Thomas; McShane, Larry (April 13, 2017).
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Adams Otis, Ginger; Annese, John; Slattery, Denis (April 12, 2017).
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590:"United States' first female Muslim judge found dead in New York"
1112:"Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam likely committed suicide, police say"
967:"Judge who washed up along Hudson cut husband out of her estate"
276:, from 1992 to 1993. Abdus-Salaam was elected a justice of the
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Ray
Sanchez, Madison Park and Brynn Gingras (April 13, 2017).
706:"Death of NY Judge Found in Hudson River 'Suspicious': Police"
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Courts, Historical
Society of the New York (March 17, 2021).
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Abdus-Salaam's second husband, James
Hatcher, was the son of
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Cohen, Shawn; Moore, Tina; Golding, Bruce (April 19, 2017).
221:
female judge to serve on the New York Court of
Appeals.
528:
Haag, Matthew; Rashbaum, William K. (April 12, 2017).
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hours after she was reported missing from her home in
802:"Cuomo Picks Judge in City to Fill Spot at Top Court"
1179:"Video Shows Judge on Hudson Shore Before Her Death"
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310:held May 6, 2013. She became the first female
252:in 1977. Among her classmates at Columbia was
1541:Eastern High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni
1076:"Judge Washes up Dead Along the Hudson River"
868:"'Trailblazer' judge found dead in Manhattan"
488:Frehse, Rob; Park, Madison (April 13, 2017).
229:Sheila Turner was born on March 14, 1952, in
8:
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1521:Suicides by drowning in the United States
465:Historical Society of the New York Courts
302:, Abdus-Salaam was nominated by Governor
294:On April 5, 2013, following the death of
244:Turner obtained a bachelor's degree from
1369:Abdus-Salaam, Sheila (August 30, 2016).
1501:Judges of the New York Court of Appeals
1341:Tcholakian, Danielle (April 25, 2017).
1177:Rashbaum, William K. (April 21, 2017).
1141:West Savali, Kirsten (April 19, 2017).
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1561:Deaths by drowning in New York (state)
1373:In Re Brooke S.B. v. Elizabeth A. C.C.
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319:In Re Brooke S.B. v. Elizabeth A. C.C.
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16:American judge and lawyer (1952-2017)
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333:, who worked as a press officer for
209:, Abdus-Salaam was nominated to the
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1531:20th-century African-American women
1476:21st-century American women lawyers
1456:20th-century American women lawyers
1305:Eversley, Melanie (July 26, 2017).
1274:McCallister, Doreen (May 4, 2017).
1239:Kanno-Youngs, Zolan (May 4, 2017).
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440:from the original on April 13, 2017
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1255:from the original on April 2, 2019
14:
357:Abdus-Salaam was found dead near
341:Gregory A. Jacobs, in June 2016.
1363:Hon. Sheila Abdus-Salaam profile
1286:from the original on May 8, 2017
716:from the original on May 2, 2019
665:Reisman, Nick (April 13, 2017).
402:List of African-American jurists
1511:New York Supreme Court Justices
800:Santora, Marc (April 5, 2013).
629:"Honorable Sheila Abdus-Salaam"
1001:, Episcopal Diocese of Newark.
258:United States Attorney General
1:
1506:Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
1471:21st-century American lawyers
1451:20th-century American lawyers
965:Marsh, Julia (May 19, 2017).
738:Seiler, Casey (May 7, 2013).
426:"Sheila Abdus-Salaam profile"
1466:21st-century American judges
1446:20th-century American judges
740:"Senate confirms new judge"
248:in 1974 and graduated from
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389:New York Police Department
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37:Abdus-Salaam speaking at
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1380:. New York Court System.
225:Early life and education
1486:African-American judges
1248:The Wall Street Journal
997:April 13, 2017, at the
992:Wedding of Canon Jacobs
50:Associate Judge of the
1491:Barnard College alumni
278:New York Supreme Court
203:New York Supreme Court
667:"Anatomy of an Error"
215:New York State Senate
935:"Ticker Tape U.S.A."
933:(January 20, 1992).
382:Riverbank State Park
217:. She was the first
1116:New York Daily News
1048:New York Daily News
566:dioceseofnewark.org
250:Columbia Law School
235:Eastern High School
185:Sheila Abdus-Salaam
168:Columbia University
25:Sheila Abdus-Salaam
1183:The New York Times
1018:. April 13, 2017.
874:. April 14, 2017.
807:The New York Times
712:. April 19, 2017.
598:. April 13, 2017.
535:The New York Times
207:Appellate Division
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1410:Succeeded by
671:State of Politics
359:West 132nd Street
300:Theodore T. Jones
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339:Episcopal priest
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1312:USA TODAY
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