New US Marshals Director Takes Oath of Office

Donald Washington was sworn in as the director of the U.S. Marshals Service today in a ceremony at the Tom Stagg U.S. District Court in Shreveport, Louisiana, with Chief Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. presiding and Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals administering the oath of office.

Washington becomes the agency’s 11^th director since the office was established in 1970.

The Department of Justice will hold a ceremonial installation service for Washington when he arrives at Marshals headquarters.

“We are thrilled to have Director Washington return to the Department. He brings a wealth of experience as a former U.S. Attorney and lawyer in various private and corporate capacities,” said U.S. Attorney General William Barr. “We look forward to formally welcoming him to the U.S. Marshals Service at a ceremony April 11^th.”

President Donald Trump nominated Washington Oct. 2, 2018, to lead the U.S. Marshals. The U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination March 14. 

A 1977 West Point graduate, Washington served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve until 1987.  In 1989, he received his Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas. After law school, Washington began his legal career as an attorney at Conoco Inc.

In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him U.S. Attorney for Western Louisiana, a 42-parish federal jurisdiction that includes Lafayette, Shreveport, Alexandria, Monroe and Lake Charles.  Washington served on several U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Committees, as well as subcommittees on Civil Rights, Controlled Substances, and Native American Issues. Washington also served as the Chairman of the Southeastern U.S. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.  In 2010, he returned to private practice in Lafayette, Louisiana.