Judge Esther Salas was already a trailblazer when she became the first Latina to ascend to the federal bench in New Jersey, and in more than a decade as a jurist, she has taken on a sprawling docket that includes everything from a drug cartel prosecution to a securities class action to a bank fraud case involving reality television stars.

But in 2020, she became a household name after an unthinkable tragedy. Her home was attacked by an armed attorney — a self-avowed “anti-feminist” who’d previously appeared before Judge Salas. He critically wounded her husband, Mark, and fatally shot their only son, Daniel, who was 20 years old. 

Since then, Judge Salas has become a national figure, advocating for improved judicial security. She spoke to us a few weeks after the three-year anniversary of the shooting.