On January 10, 2025, Leah Brownlee Taylor was designated Acting General Counsel for the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) by former USMS Director Ronald L. Davis.
Leah Brownlee Taylor is a cum laude graduate of Spelman College and graduate of Rutgers Law School, Newark N.J., where her participation in civil rights clinical work, mock trial and moot court competitions, as well as her internship with the United States Attorney’s Office solidified her life-long interest and career in public service. After graduating from Rutgers Law School, Ms. Taylor began her legal career working as public defender with the Legal Aid Society in Manhattan before transitioning to civil defense work for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Brooklyn, New York. In 2002, Ms. Taylor moved to Washington D.C. and clerked for the D.C. Superior Court, Senior Judges, under the stewardship of the late Chief Judge Eugene Hamilton. From 2004-2011, Ms. Taylor worked as an Assistant Attorney General for the District of Columbia, defending complex civil litigation claims. In 2011, Ms. Taylor fulfilled one of her life-long dreams when she joined the Department of Justice (DOJ), Civil Division, Constitutional and Specialized Torts Section as a seasoned trial attorney under Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. As a Senior Trial Attorney with the DOJ, she defended high-ranking federal officials and the United States of America in federal district and appellate court civil litigation, including constitutional tort, statutory, and common law claims. She has won numerous motions, hearings, and jury trials throughout her career, including in New York, California, Washington D.C., Illinois, Utah, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Ms. Taylor is the recipient of awards from the Office of the Attorney General, D.C., a Special Commendation Award for Outstanding Service in the Civil Division, DOJ, a Certificate of Recognition from former FBI Director, James Comey, as well as the USMS Distinguished Group Award in 2018 as lead counsel for the Jane Doe Legal Defense Team. As lead counsel for Jane Doe, Ms. Taylor prevailed in her defense of the U.S. and a Deputy U.S. Marshal who bravely protected a witness, a judge, and a jury from a defendant’s violent courtroom attack during a criminal trial. Her defense of the USMS, embrace of its mission, and those that risk their lives for justice, integrity, and service inspired another career milestone when she joined the USMS as its Deputy General Counsel in 2021. In 2025, Ms. Taylor was honored to receive the Attorney General Award, DOJ for Excellence in Information Technology and was nominated for the Presidential Rank Award for work at USMS.