Tributes have been pouring in to honor the life and legacy of iconic Manhattan federal Judge Deborah Batts, the country's first openly gay federal judge, reports CNN. 

Batts passed away at the age of 72 on Monday, leaving behind a wife and two children. According to a press release from Fordham Law School, Batts died in her sleep on Sunday. 

She was nominated for a judicial position on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1994 by President Bill Clinton and was easily confirmed by the Senate at the time. Fordham Law School said she was also the college's first Black faculty member.

"I'm a mother. I'm an African American. I'm a lesbian. I'm a former professor. If people assume any one of these aspects is going to predominate, it would create a problem," Batts told the New York Law Journal in 1994.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio released a statement about her death and commended her for a decorated career in public service. 

In another tweet, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who was sworn in by Batts, called the judge a "fighter for progress" and "a trailblazer who broke new ground and inspired many New Yorkers and young lawyers to fight for justice." 

Matthew Diller, the dean of Fordham Law School, said Batts "was a beloved member of our community and will be greatly missed."

"We are grateful to her for her brilliance, passion and friendship. As the first African American to receive tenure at Fordham Law and the first openly LGBTQ federal judge, she broke barriers and opened doors. Since joining the federal bench, we have been fortunate to hold on to her as a superb teacher of trial advocacy and a dear friend. She was a mentor to students and faculty alike. We will miss her sharp sense of humor and the joy that she took in life,” Diller added.

The Philadelphia native has dozens of firsts associated with her name and worked in private practice before becoming a judge. She eventually went back to teaching at Fordham but spent decades breaking barriers in the judicial field. She got her degree from Radcliffe College in 1969 and went on to graduate from Harvard Law School.

"From her time as an [Assistant U.S. Attorney] in our Criminal Division through her path-breaking appointment to the federal bench more than 25 years ago, Judge Batts was a relentless stalwart for justice. She will be deeply missed by our office, in the courthouse and across the legal community," said Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

Some of her most famous cases involved al-Qaida member Mamdouh Mahmud Salim and a defamation lawsuit against Bill O'Reilly. 

The iconic judicial legend retired from the bench in 2012 but would often take cases voluntarily. She was slated to decide the coming trial of Michael Avenatti who is on trial for allegedly stealing money from his former client Stormy Daniels.

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