The nation's oldest law enforcement agency, the U.S. Marshal Service (USMS) serves as the enforcement arm of the federal courts and is responsible for protecting the federal judicial process. The agency provides security for judicial proceedings, federal judges, U.S. attorneys, assistant U.S. attorneys, personnel, jurors, the visiting public and prisoners. It is also the federal government's primary agency for fugitive investigations. This agency was created by Judiciary Act of 1789 and is part of the Department of Justice.