Marshal

Marshal (also spelled Marshall) is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word derives from Old Germanic marah "horse" and scalc "servant", and originally meant "stable keeper". As marshals became betrusted members of the courts of Middle Ages Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for the most elevated offices. The spelling of the name ("Marshall") is often confused with the spelling of the title ("Marshal").

Law enforcement

Particularly in the United States, marshal is used for various kinds of law enforcement officers with specialist status. They mainly protect the security of the courts and justice system.

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• At the federal level, the federal court system is served by the United States Marshal.
• The US Supreme Court maintains a Marshal of the Supreme Court who also controls the US Supreme Court Police, a security police service.
• At the state, local or municipal court level, marshals are petty court officers similar to constables. Often their job is civil rather than criminal law enforcement.
• In the American Old West, marshals, also called the "Town Marshal", were appointed or elected police officers of small communities, with similar powers and duties to that of a sheriff, while federal marshals would work in a larger, possibly overlapping area, especially in pioneering country. The word is still used in this sense, especially in the Southwest United States. (See List of Western lawmen). Still the name for some police forces.
• In California, several counties maintained separate county marshal's Offices which served as court officers similar to US Marshals. Most have been merged into or taken over by the local County Sheriff's Office.
• In Georgia, the Marshal is a civil law enforcement officer in some counties.
• In Indiana, Marshals are responsible for law enforcement in a town.
• In Ohio the term village marshal has been used for the same, often without any colleague, directly under the Mayor.
• Sky Marshals are armed security police officers employed to protect commercial airliners from the threat of Skyjacking. (Though sometimes called Air Marshals, they are completely unrelated to the military rank mentioned above, and are not to be confused with it.)