Western New York is mourning the death of a trailblazer in the local law community.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says U.S. Magistrate Judge Hugh B. Scott has passed away.

Scott spent more than 30 years on the bench.

He was the first black assistant U.S. attorney and the first black federal judge to serve the Western District of New York.

The U.S. attorney released a statement that said in part:

"...his greatness was truly defined not by the color of his skin but by the contents of both his remarkable character and his overflowing heart.   I and my entire Office extend our deepest condolences to his wife Trudy, his sons, and the rest of his family."