Erek Barron facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Erek Barron
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| United States Attorney for the District of Maryland | |
| Assumed office October 7, 2021 |
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| President | Joe Biden Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Robert K. Hur |
| Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 24th district |
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| In office January 14, 2015 – October 7, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Darren Swain |
| Succeeded by | Faye Martin Howell |
| Constituency | Prince George's County, Maryland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1974 (age 50–51) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residences | Bowie, Maryland, U.S. |
| Education | University of Maryland, College Park (BA) George Washington University (JD) Georgetown University (LLM) |
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Erek Lawrence Barron (born 1974) is an American lawyer and politician. He currently serves as the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. This means he is the top federal prosecutor for Maryland. Before this important role, he was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, which is part of Maryland's state government.
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Early Life and Education
Erek Barron was born in Washington, D.C.. He went to Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. After high school, he studied English at the University of Maryland, College Park, graduating in 1996.
He then decided to become a lawyer. He earned his law degree, called a Juris Doctor, from the George Washington University Law School. He became a licensed lawyer in Maryland in the same year, 1999. Later, he continued his studies and earned another advanced law degree, a Master of Laws, from Georgetown University Law Center. His studies focused on international law and national security.
Career as a Lawyer
Before becoming a politician, Erek Barron worked as a lawyer in different important roles. He was a prosecutor, which means he worked for the government to bring legal cases against people accused of crimes. He served as an assistant state's attorney in Prince George's County and Baltimore City from 2001 to 2006.
He also worked as a trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice. From 2007 to 2009, he was an advisor to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. During this time, he also advised Joe Biden, who was a Senator then.
Serving in the Maryland Legislature
In 2014, Erek Barron was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates. This is like the state's version of the U.S. House of Representatives. He officially started his term on January 14, 2015.
In 2015, he made news by joining the Women's Legislators of Maryland Caucus. He was one of the first men in the United States to join a group like this, which usually focuses on women's issues.
In 2019, the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, Adrienne A. Jones, chose Barron to lead the Joint Committee on Fair Practices. In this role, he helped investigate certain situations involving state officials. He later stepped away from one of these investigations when he became a U.S. Attorney, to avoid any conflicts of interest.
Committee Work
While in the Maryland House of Delegates, Erek Barron was part of several important committees:
- He was a co-chair of the Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight from 2019 to 2021.
- He was a member of the Health and Government Operations Committee from 2015 to 2021. This committee deals with health services and how the government operates.
- He also served on the Legislative Policy Committee from 2020 to 2021.
Becoming U.S. Attorney for Maryland
On July 26, 2021, Erek Barron was chosen to be the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. This is a very important job in the federal justice system. His nomination was approved by the United States Senate on September 30, 2021.
He officially started his new role on October 7, 2021. Erek Barron made history as the first black U.S. Attorney for Maryland.
In August 2022, Barron announced a plan to help reduce violent crime in Baltimore. This plan included hiring more people for his office's crime section and focusing on prosecuting repeat offenders.
Political Views
National Politics
In April 2019, Erek Barron and state Senator James Rosapepe started a group called "Biden for Maryland." They were the first two lawmakers in Maryland to support Joe Biden when he was running for president.
Transportation
Erek Barron has also shown interest in improving transportation. In May 2016, he and another lawmaker, Marc Korman, suggested ways to improve the Metro system. These ideas included getting more funding for Metro and changing how its board works.
In 2018, he introduced a bill that would increase Maryland's yearly contribution to Metro by $125 million. This would happen if Virginia and Washington, D.C. agreed to contribute the same amount.
