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US Marshals carry handguns, assault rifles and shotguns, and can form a posse, Old West style
Sharon Lubinski
Obama nominates lesbian as US Marshal
President Obama yesterday nominated an openly gay woman for US Marshal. If she is selected, Sharon Lubinski, currently Assistant Minneapolis Police Chief, would be the first openly gay US Marshal in the country, one of two active female Marshals of the 94 serving nationwide, and the first female to serve in Minnesota.
Obama said: "Assistant Chief Lubinski has dedicated her career to the noble cause of protecting her fellow Americans. She has displayed exceptional courage in the pursuit of justice, and I am honored to nominate her today to continue her selfless work as a US Marshal for the District of Minnesota."
The United States Marshals Service, created in 1789, is the country's oldest federal law enforcement agency, a part of the Department of Justice. The 94 Marshals protect court officers and buildings and ensure the effective operation of the judicial system, but also apprehend wanted fugitives, provide protection for the federal judiciary, transport federal prisoners and manage assets seized from criminal enterprises.
They are also empowered to enlist any willing citizens as deputies, which was known in the Old West as forming a posse. Their website notes that they are armed with Glock 22 handguns, AR-15 assault rifles, 12-gauge shotguns and "may carry a backup handgun of their choice if it meets certain requirements".
Lubinski, currently a member of the community faculty at Metropolitan State University School of Criminal Justice, earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her Master's from Hamline University, where she is pursuing a doctoral degree in Public Administration.
The White House press release said: "She has served in the Minneapolis Police Department for twenty years, ten of those in command positions. Prior to joining the Minneapolis Police Department, she spent eight years with the Dane County Sheriff's Department in Madison, Wisconsin."
Lubinski said she would be honoured to serve: "During my thirty-year career, I've actively partnered with federal law enforcement agencies in many different capacities," she said in a statement. "The US Marshal has a uniquely important role as the chief enforcement officer of the federal courts, charged with ensuring the safety and effective functioning of our justice system."
