Michael Hughes was sworn in Friday as U.S. Marshal for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, becoming the local courts' first presidentially appointed U.S. Marshal to reside within city limits.
Hughes is the fourth U.S. Marshal for the District's local court system since the position was created in 1988, and the third to be nominated by the White House and confirmed by the Senate.
District of Columbia Court of Appeals Chief Judge Eric Washington officiated over the ceremony, which took place in the ceremonial courtroom of the appeals court. Washington noted in his remarks that because Hughes has lived in the District since 2000, “we have someone who not only understands this court system, but who is invested in our court system.”
Hughes will oversee a U.S. Marshals Service office unlike any other in the United States. Washington doesn’t have a local sheriff’s office, so the U.S. Marshals Service for Superior Court oversees everything from court security and the execution of court orders to investigations into fugitives and serving certain types of warrants, said Michael Prout, assistant director for judicial security for the U.S. Marshals Service, who served as master of ceremonies.
The Superior Court U.S. Marshals Service office is separate from the U.S. Marshals Service office that oversees operations at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Hughes kept his remarks brief, but said he was looking forward to coordinating with the many criminal justice agencies in the District. As a resident, he said, “I have a vested interest in the protection of our citizens.”
Nominated by the White House on Sept. 23, Hughes brings 18 years of experience with the U.S. Marshals Service. He spent his career with the agency, which he joined in 1991.
Hughes’ previous positions have included serving in the Witness Security Division, on protection details for a deputy attorney general and on detail to Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). Most recently, he was in the Tactical Operations Division as chief of the Office of Crisis Services.
The Senate confirmed Hughes in November.
National Law Journal photos by Zoe Tillman. At top, Chief Judge Eric Washington swears in U.S. Marshal Michael Hughes. Below (from left), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Michael Prout, Washington and Hughes.
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