Erek Barron facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Erek Barron
United States Attorney for the District of Maryland
Incumbent
Assumed office October 7, 2021
President	Joe Biden
Preceded by	Robert K. Hur
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 24th district
In office January 14, 2015 – October 7, 2021 Serving with Carolyn J. B. Howard, Michael L. Vaughn, Andrea Harrison, and Jazz Lewis
Preceded by	Darren Swain
Succeeded by	Faye Martin Howell
Constituency	Prince George's County, Maryland
Personal details
Born	1974 (age 49–50) 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 attorney and politician serving as the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland since 2021. He is a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 24th district.

Early life and education

Barron was born in Washington, D.C., and attended the Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. In 1996, he graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Three years later, he earned a Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School and was admitted to the Maryland Bar the same year. He later earned a Master of Laws, with a focus on International Law and National Security Law, from Georgetown University Law Center.

Career

Barron has worked for the Maryland law firm of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston and is a member of the American Bar Association. Barron is a former prosecutor and has worked as an assistant state's attorney for Prince George's County and Baltimore City (2001–2006), a trial attorney in United States Department of Justice (2006–2007), and counsel and policy advisor to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary and Senator Joe Biden (2007–2009).

Maryland legislature

Barron first won election to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2014. He was sworn into office on January 14, 2015. In 2015, he and three other male legislators joined the Women's Legislators of Maryland Caucus, becoming the first men to join a women's caucus in the United States.

In 2019, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Adrienne A. Jones appointed Barron to chair the Joint Committee on Fair Practices. In this capacity, he investigated the circumstances surrounding the $238,250 severance package paid to Roy McGrath, the former director of the Maryland Environmental Service and the chief of staff of Governor Larry Hogan. Barron later recused himself from the McGrath case after becoming U.S. attorney, citing his role in the investigation.

Committee assignments

• Co-chair, Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight, 2019–2021
• Member, Health and Government Operations Committee, 2015–2021 (health facilities & occupations subcommittee, 2015–2016; government operations & long-term care subcommittee, 2015–2017; estates & trusts subcommittee, 2016–2017; government operations & estates & trusts subcommittee, 2017–2019; public health & minority health disparities subcommittee, 2017–2021; government operations & health facilities subcommittee, 2020–2021)
• Member, Legislative Policy Committee, 2020–2021

U.S. attorney for Maryland

Barron speaks at a press conference on violent crime in Baltimore with Mayor Brandon Scott (left) and Governor Larry Hogan (right), 2022

On July 26, 2021, Barron was nominated to be the United States attorney for the District of Maryland. On September 23, 2021, his nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote. On September 30, 2021, his nomination was confirmed in the United States Senate by voice vote. On October 7, 2021, he was sworn into office by Chief Judge James K. Bredar. He is Maryland's first black U.S. attorney.

On August 24, 2022, Barron announced a $3.5 million plan for addressing violent crime in Baltimore, which included new hires for the office's violent and organized crime section and pursuing repeat violent offenders "for any and all wrongdoing that meets our priorities, especially fraud."

Political positions

National politics

In April 2019, Barron and state Senator James Rosapepe launched "Biden for Maryland", becoming the first two Maryland lawmakers to endorse his bid for president.

Transportation

In May 2016, Barron and Marc Korman released a list of Metro reform proposals, including ideas involving dedicated funding, the make-up of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board, and vendors in stations to boost revenue. During the 2018 legislative session, he introduced legislation to raise the state's annual contribution to Metro by $125 million a year if Virginia and the Washington, D.C. agreed to do the same.

Electoral history