[1] Prior to becoming Virginia Secretary of Public Safety in January 2002, Marshall served in the Virginia State Police from 1980 to 1994, where he was assigned as a State Trooper, Narcotics Division Special Agent, Training Academy Instructor, and Field Operations Sergeant.
From 1994 to 1999, he served as United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia.
In 1999, he was appointed as the first African-American Director of the United States Marshals Service by President Bill Clinton, serving in that post until 2001.
Following his resignation as Virginia Secretary of Public Safety in January 2010, Marshall served as a consultant and senior advisor to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund until January 2011, and subsequently became a public speaker on topics including criminal justice and civil rights.
[2][3][4] He is also the brother of Thurgood Marshall Jr., former Secretary to the Cabinet in the Clinton administration.