The first African-American woman appointed to New Yort Court of Appeals found dead

Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam, the first African-American woman to serve on New York state's highest court was found dead on Wednesday afternoon in the Hudson River. Police responded to a 911 call about a person floating in the Hudson around 1:45 p.m

 

They found an unconscious and unresponsive woman, who was later pronounced dead and identified as 65 year old Abdus-Salaam. 

According the New York Police Department, the case is currently under investigation.

Abdus-Salaam had been an associate justice on the New York Court of Appeals since 2013.