The Court today announced that Pamela Talkin, Marshal of the Supreme Court of the United States, will retire on July 31 after serving 19 years as Marshal and a total of 47 years of service in the federal government. Talkin joined the Court in 2001 as the tenth person, and first woman, to serve as Marshal.

Talkin has served as the Court's general manager, paymaster, and chief security officer, managing approximately 260 employees, including the Supreme Court Police Force that provides security for the Justices, Court staff, visitors, the building, and surrounding grounds. Talkin has called the Supreme Court to order for more than 700 Courtroom sessions, maintaining order and decorum during Court proceedings.

For six years before coming to the Court, she was the first deputy executive director of the Office of Compliance, the independent regulatory agency created by the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, which applies the nation’s labor and employment laws to Congress. From 1989-1995, Talkin served as a member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority and from 1986 to 1989, she was the chief of staff at the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Talkin was an assistant regional director of the National Labor Relations Board in San Francisco, California, from 1984 to 1986.

“My colleagues and I are grateful to Pam Talkin for her exceptional service to the Court,” said Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.  “Over her tenure of nearly two decades, she has taken on many crucial projects – including the renovation of our Court building and the modernization of our security practices – while overseeing the day-to-day operations of our facilities and police.  We will miss hearing her cry the Court at the beginning of each of our arguments sessions.”