America was stunned with the news late Sunday night about a murderous assault on the family of Justice Esther Salas, a federal judge based in New Jersey. The attacker posed as a delivery boy and shot her son who has passed away while injuring her husband who is in critical condition.
This incident has left the entire country stunned as Salas was presiding over some very important cases that had gained the attention of the national media. Of late, she had been in focus as the judge in Jeffery Epstein's case pertaining to the irregularities in Deutsche Bank.
An important Personality
But her importance is not just restricted to the Epstein case. She has dealt with important cases before this one also. On top of that, she is also notable as the first Hispanic woman to be appointed as District Judge and Magistrate Judge in New Jersey.
She started her career as a law clerk in the office of Eugene Codey Jr, who was in the Superior Court of New Jersey. After a stint at a legal firm, she again occupied a governmental position by becoming Assistant Federal Public Defender in New Jersey District.
It was in 2006 that she occupied the position of a judge by being appointed Magistrate Judge. But her career got a big fillip when she was nominated by Senator Robert Menendez for the post of US District Court Judge in New Jersey. President Barack Obama approved her nomination and appointed her as such in 2010.
Rise to Prominence
Since assuming this office, Justice Salas has had some interesting and highly-publicized cases come under her jurisdiction. Lately, it has been the Epstein case that she has been looking at. Prior to that, in 2014, she was presiding over the case of fraud against Teresa Giudice, leading member of the cast on Real Housewives of New Jersey, and her husband.
She was also known for using innovative means to provide justice. While sentencing Giudice and her husband, she divided their punishments in a way that would allow one of them to be available to take care of their young children.
In 2017, she was faced with a very complicated case of a man who was considered the leader of a murderous gang. The complication was that he seemed intellectually handicapped. Salas eventually prevented the prosecution from seeking the death penalty for the gangster.
Her Family
Her husband, who was also shot in the attack late Sunday night, is himself a lawyer. Their son was barely out of her teens, 20-year old to be exact, but has unfortunately succumbed to injuries. Luckily for her, she was in the basement of the house and therefore didn't come face to face with the killer.
