SCOTUS News

Court names military attorney as second-ever female marshal

Col. Gail Curley, an attorney in the U.S. Army who has advised military leaders on national security law, will be the Supreme Court’s new marshal, the court announced on Monday. Curley succeeds Pamela Talkin, the first woman to serve as marshal, who retired last year after 19 years on the job.

Curley, who will begin her new position on June 21, comes to the court 30 years after graduating from West Point with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She received her law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and two master’s degrees from military graduate schools. During her service in the Army, Curley served in (among other places) Germany and Afghanistan; most recently, she was the chief of the National Security Law Division in the Office of the Judge Advocate General. In that position, she supervised judge advocates and “provided legal advice and support on national security law to senior Army leadership,” according to the court.

As the marshal of the Supreme Court, Curley will play her most visible role whenever the justices take the bench to hear arguments or issue opinions, as she makes the traditional “Oyez, oyez, oyez!” announcement to officially open each session. But Curley will also have broad responsibilities beyond the courtroom, including acting as the Supreme Court’s “chief security officer, facilities administrator, and contracting executive, managing approximately 260 employees, including the Supreme Court Police Force.”

This post was originally published at Howe on the Court.