SCOTUS Appoints Gail A. Curly as Marshall of the Court

Today’s order list announced the appointment of Gail A. Curley as the Marshal of the Court. Here is the Court’s press release.

Colonel Gail A. Curley has been appointed the new Marshal of the Supreme Court of the United States. She will be the eleventh Marshal of the Court and the second woman to hold the position. She succeeds Pamela Talkin, who retired on July 31, 2020 after 19 years as Marshal. Col. Curley is expected to assume her new duties on June 21, 2021. As Marshal, Col. Curley will serve as the Court’s chief security officer, facilities administrator, and contracting executive, managing approximately 260 employees, including the Supreme Court Police Force, which provides security for the Justices, Court staff, visitors, the building, and surrounding grounds. Col. Curley will call the Supreme Court to order in argument sessions, maintaining order and decorum during Court proceedings.

Col. Curley comes to the Court from the U.S. Army where she was the chief of the National Security Law Division in the Office of The Judge Advocate General. She supervised a team of judge advocates, led the strategic engagements program for the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and provided legal advice and support on national security law to senior Army leadership. From 2016 to 2019, Col. Curley was the staff judge advocate for Headquarters, U.S. Army Europe in Wiesbaden, Germany, where she served as the senior U.S. Army attorney for an area consisting of 50 nations and supervised over 300 legal professionals. She has held a wide variety of leadership and legal positions over her military career at many locations including Germany, Afghanistan, and the continental United States.

Col. Curley earned her Bachelor’s degree in political science in 1991 from the United States Military Academy and received a J.D. in 1999 from the University of Illinois College of Law. She received a Master of Laws degree in 2004 from The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School and a Master of Science in 2014 from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.

Curley will replace Pamela Talkin, who served a Marshal from 2001 through July 2020. Palkin previously served as Clarence Thomas’s Chief of Staff at the EEOC. And she testified on his behalf following Anita Hill’s allegations.

Be sure not to confuse the Marshal of the Court with the (John) Marshall of the Court. Funny story. During the Burr trial, Chief Justice John Marshall presided. And his brother, James Marshall, served as the Marshall for the federal courts. So he was Marshal Marshall. Imagine if Marshal Marshall marshaled the court martial!? (Marsha, Marsha, Marsha).