We get a lot of questions about what other employees work at the court besides the nine justices, their clerks, and the justices’ staff.
While some positions are pretty well known (likely the first people you’ll see when approaching the court are officers of the Supreme Court police, and the marshal calls the court to order before argument), what about the other “court officers”?
Outside of the marshal, there are 11 such employees, who are essential to “assist[ing] the Court in the performance of its functions,” according to the court’s website. They include: counselor to the chief justice, clerk, librarian, reporter of decisions, court counsel, curator, public information officer, director of information technology, budget director, human resources director, and the legislative affairs officer.
About some of these positions:
The counselor to the chief justice assists the chief justice “in administering the Court and the federal judiciary, and serves as the chief’s liaison to other government agencies.” The position originated under Chief Justice Warren Burger, who wanted “a high level administrative deputy or assistant” to help him with his administrative work (such as communicating with the chief judges of each judicial circuit and district, chairing the board of the Federal Judicial Center, and managing the Judicial Conference of the United States)
The current counselor to the chief justice is Robert M. Dow, Jr., who has been with Chief Justice John Roberts since 2022. Dow, a United States district judge, was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 2007. Unlike those in other positions (like the marshal), he serves under the discretion of the chief justice, meaning Roberts can appoint, remove, and fix the compensation of the counselor.
The current clerk of the Supreme Court is Scott S. Harris – whose name you’ve likely seen many times if (like us) you pay any attention to SCOTUS filings. He was named to this position in 2013 and previously served as the Supreme Court’s legal counsel for 11 years. As clerk, Harris manages the clerk’s office, which processes filings, drafts letters after a ruling, and keeps the court’s records, among other things.
Librarian David S. Mao assumed his role in 2024. He “manage[s] the Supreme Court Library, its 29 employees, and a collection of nearly 650,000 volumes.” Before become Supreme Court librarian, Mao spent over a decade at the Library of Congress (good practice, one would assume).
Reporter of decisions Rebecca A. Womeldorf took on the role in 2021, and “prepares a syllabus or summary of the Court’s opinions for the convenience of readers.” From the court’s press release at the time: “Ms. Womeldorf will also be responsible for editing the opinions of the Supreme Court and supervising their printing and official publication in the United States Reports. She will oversee a staff of 10 professionals who examine each of the Court’s draft opinions, using the Supreme Court’s own Style Manual, to ensure accuracy and uniformity.”
Court Counsel Ethan V. Torrey provides legal services to the court as an institution, with the Court’s Legal Office offering “support to the Justices on a variety of case-related issues and legal services for the Court as an institution.”(Torrey replaced Harris as counsel when Harris became clerk of court.)
Matthew D. Hofstedt is the curator of the Supreme Court; the Curator’s Office “collect[s] the institution’s rich history, share[s] it with a diverse audience through a variety of programs, and preserve[s] it for future generations.” (More on that in a future column.)
But perhaps the position best known by journalists (including us at SCOTUSblog) is Patricia McCabe, the public information officer. She is the court’s official spokesperson and her office, among other tasks, issues the opinions and orders of the court, as well as credentials reporters.