United States marshal

United States Marshals Service
Common name	U.S. Marshals
Abbreviation	USMS
Variant flag of the U.S. Marshals Service
Seal of the U.S. Marshals Service
Badge of the U.S. Marshals Service
Flag of the U.S. Marshals Service
Agency overview
Formed	September 24, 1789
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency	United States
Constituting instrument	United States Code, Title 28, Chapter 37
General nature	Federal law enforcement Civilian agency
Operational structure
Headquarters	Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Sworn members	94 U.S. Marshals, 3,953 Deputy U.S. Marshals and criminal investigators
Agency executive	David Harlow, Deputy Director
Parent agency	Department of Justice
Website
usmarshals.gov

The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency within the U.S. Department of Justice (see 28 U.S.C. § 561). It is the oldest American federal law enforcement agency, which was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789 during the presidency of George Washington. The Marshals Service is attached to the Judicial branch of government, and is the enforcement arm of the federal courts. It is the primary agency for fugitive operations, responsible for prisoner transport, the protection of officers of the court, and for the effective operation of the judiciary. The Marshals Service operates the Witness Protection Program, and serves federal level arrest warrants.

The office of United States Marshal was created by the First Congress. President George Washington signed the Judiciary Act into law on September 24, 1789. The Act provided that the United States Marshal's primary function was to execute all lawful warrants issued to him under the authority of the United States. The law defined marshals as officers of the courts charged with assisting federal courts in their law-enforcement functions:

And be it further enacted, That a marshal shall be appointed in and for each district for a term of four years, but shall be removable from office at pleasure, whose duty it shall be to attend the district and circuit courts when sitting therein, and also the Supreme Court in the district in which that court shall sit. And to execute throughout the district, all lawful precepts directed to him, and issued under the authority of the United States, and he shall have the power to command all necessary assistance in the execution of his duty, and to appoint as shall be occasion, one or more deputies.