Sponsors (45)
The bill centralizes and formalizes leadership and judicial-protection powers of the U.S. Marshals Service to strengthen court security and targeted investigative support, but it moves control into a judicial-aligned structure and adds subpoena/approval powers that raise privacy risks, could politicize oversight, and may hinder coordination and rapid law-enforcement action.
Federal judges, court staff, witnesses, and other threatened persons will have clearer, statutory protection authority from a Marshals Service focused on judicial security, improving safety for the judiciary and court operations.
Families of missing children, local law enforcement, and communities could see improved responses because the Marshals Service may assist in fugitive investigations and missing-children recoveries (with DOJ request and Director approval), strengthening interagency search and recovery efforts.
Federal employees and Marshals personnel will have a new leadership structure (a dedicated Director and supervisory Board) intended to set goals and improve the Service's efficiency and effectiveness.
People subject to investigations and civil-liberty advocates face increased privacy and surveillance risks because the bill authorizes administrative subpoenas for certain unregistered sex-offender investigations, which could be used without sufficient safeguards.
The shift of the Marshals Service into a judicial-branch-aligned structure with Board/appointment changes reduces DOJ oversight and concentrates appointment/removal power, which could politicize leadership decisions and complicate coordination of federal law-enforcement priorities.
Requiring Director approval for many DOJ requests narrows Marshals' independent authority and could slow urgent law-enforcement operations (including time-sensitive fugitive or cross-jurisdictional work), potentially delaying investigations or recoveries.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Reorganizes the U.S. Marshals Service into the judicial branch, creates a Chief Justice-appointed Director and Board, and shifts many powers from the Attorney General to the judiciary.
Official title: To amend title 28, United States Code, to transfer the United States Marshals Service to the judicial branch, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 23, 2025 by Eric Swalwell · Last progress May 23, 2025
Reorganizes the U.S. Marshals Service into a bureau inside the judicial branch and shifts key appointment and oversight powers from the Attorney General to the Chief Justice and a newly created supervisory Board. It establishes a Director of the Service appointed by the Chief Justice (with a Board that can remove the Director), requires the Chief Justice (with Board consultation) to appoint U.S. marshals for judicial districts for four-year terms, and narrows some operational authorities and cooperation authorities with the Department of Justice.