NYCLA_s Statement on the Death of New York Court of Appeals Associate Justice Sheila -Abdus-Salaam

New York County Lawyers Association Statement on

The Untimely Death of New York Court of Appeals

Associate Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam

New York, New York (04/12/2017) – New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) President Carol A. Sigmond issued this statement today:

We are deeply shocked and saddened by the untimely death of New York Court of Appeals Associate Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam. Justice Abdus-Salaam was a gracious lady with a formidable intellect and passion for the law. Justice Abdus­ Salaam was the first Muslim-American woman and first African-American to serve on the New York State Court of Appeals. A graduate of Columbia Law School, a former staff attorney at East Brooklyn Legal Services, a former Assistant Attorney General for New York State, and a former General Counsel to the New York City Office of Labor Services, Justice Abdul-Salaam served in New York County as a Civil and Supreme Court Justice, and as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division First Department before being appointed to the Court of Appeals by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2013.

Justice Abdus-Salaam was a supporter of the organized bar and a frequent guest and speaker at the New York County Lawyers Association. She will be sorely missed by family, friends, and members of the judiciary and the bar.

About the New York County Lawyers Association

The New York County Lawyers Association (www.nycla.org) was founded in 1908 as one of the first major bar association in the country that admitted members without regard to race, ethnicity, religion or gender. Since its inception, it has pioneered some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence and has continuously played an active role in legal developments and public policy.

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