Marshal and Sheriff

[Xanthippe]

What is the difference between a US marshal and a sheriff in the USA?

[Catso]

Doesn't the authority of a sherrif end at 'the county line'? So I'd guess a marshall is either a federal or state official.

[Xanthippe]

Thank you catso. I thought they were interchangeable terms, but I gather from your answer it is a territorial issue.

[kempie]

Catso is essentially correct, but it should be added that the role of Sheriff in the US is usually also a political appointment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Mar shals_Service

[Xanthippe]

Wow, that gets quite complicated, kempie. Travelling to different states of the USA must be akin to travelling betweeen nation states on occasion.

[Clanad]

I have to disagree with kempie... I've lived in numerous Counties and States in the U.S. and in all the Sheriff is an elected position. The reason being the Sheriff needs to be free from political influence. In numerous cases the Sheriff has had to investigate and arrest political appointees or even other elected officials... As for differences between State laws... in most cases, the laws have to be compatibale and recognized from State to State by the U.S. Constitution. For example, this is one of the basic reasons for the intense debate concerning homosexual marriage in the U.S. A marriage, legally constituted in one State must be recognized in another, therefore a Constitutional Amendment is being sought to standardize this practise to one man and one woman across the U.S. This is mentioned only as a demonstrative example, byt he way... U.S. Marshalls, as previously mentioned, enforce Federal Laws, although they assist local agencies when needed...

[kempie]

Clanad - for "elected official" read "political".

[kempie]

...aah, I think I see now that you were actually disputing the word "appointment".

I concur - my intention was more along the lines of Sheriff being a "political position" via election.