Erek L. Barron (born 1974)
is an American attorney and politician serving as the
United States Attorney for the District of Maryland
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland is the chief federal law enforcement officer for the State of Maryland. Since October 2021, the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland is Erek Barron.
The United States District Court fo ...
since 2021. He is a former member of the
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...
from the
24th district.
Early life and education
Barron was born in
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and attended the
Episcopal High School in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...
. In 1996, he graduated from the
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...
with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Three years later, he earned a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from the
George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...
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
The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
.
[ ]
Career
Barron has worked for the Maryland law firm of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston and is a member of the
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...
. 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
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
(2006–2007), and counsel and policy advisor to the
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations, a ...
and Senator
Joe Biden (2007–2009).
Maryland legislature
Barron first won election to the
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...
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
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
In 2019,
Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates
The Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates presides as speaker over the House of Delegates in the state of Maryland in the United States.
List of speakers
Footnotes
References
Maryland State Archives - House of Delegates Records ...
Adrienne A. Jones
Adrienne A. Jones (born November 20, 1954) is the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, the first African-American and first woman to serve in that position in Maryland. Initially appointed by Governor Parris Glendening to fill the vacancy ...
appointed Barron to chair the Joint Committee on Fair Practices.
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
![School Zone Initiative Press Event - 52309418175](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/School_Zone_Initiative_Press_Event_-_52309418175.jpg)
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
In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...
. On September 30, 2021, his nomination was confirmed in the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
by
voice vote
In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...
. On October 7, 2021, he was sworn into office by Chief Judge
James K. Bredar. He is Maryland's first
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
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
Criminal justice
During the 2016 legislative session, Barron pushed for the Justice Reinvestment Act to include a repeal of
mandatory minimum
Mandatory sentencing requires that offenders serve a predefined term for certain crimes, commonly serious and violent offenses. Judges are bound by law; these sentences are produced through the legislature, not the judicial system. They are inst ...
sentencing laws.
In March, the House Judiciary Committee voted 17-3 to adopt the "Barron-Wilson amendment"
repealing mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug offenders while increasing penalties for leaders of gangs and
organized crime
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
. He also introduced legislation to prohibit
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
and
private colleges and universities from including questions about criminal history on their applications.
In August 2016, Barron and four other state legislators sent a joint letter to
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
Brian Frosh
Brian E. Frosh (born October 8, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Attorney General of Maryland. He also served five terms in the Maryland State Senate, representing Maryland's District 16 in Montgomery County. Prior to ...
to review the constitutionality of setting bail without considering whether a defendant could afford to pay under the
14th Amendment. The Attorney General's office responded to the letter in October by issuing an opinion stating that such a system was a possible violation of
due process
Due process of law is application by state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to the case so all legal rights that are owed to the person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual pers ...
. In November, the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure of the
Maryland Court of Appeals
The Supreme Court of Maryland is the state supreme court, highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its name was changed on December 14, 2022, from the Maryland Court of Appeals, after a voter-approved change to the state constitution. The cou ...
voted 18-5 to recommend a policy change to prohibit Maryland judges from setting bail that is too high for defendants to pay unless the defendant is considered a flight risk or a danger to society. In February 2017, the Court of Appeals voted unanimously to adopt the rule change. During the 2017 legislative session, Barron sought to enshrine the court rule change into law.
During the 2019 legislative session, Barron introduced legislation to ease the process for prosecutors looking to overturn convictions deemed to be tainted or unjust. The bill passed and became law. He also introduced a bill to require county jails to provide addiction screening, counseling, and treatment with the use of
methadone
Methadone, sold under the brand names Dolophine and Methadose among others, is a synthetic opioid agonist used for chronic pain and also for opioid dependence. It is used to treat chronic pain, and it is also used to treat addiction to heroin ...
,
Suboxone
Buprenorphine/naloxone, sold under the brand name Suboxone among others, is a fixed-dose combination medication that includes buprenorphine and naloxone. It is used to treat opioid use disorder, and reduces the mortality of opioid use disorder ...
, and
Vivitrol
Naltrexone, sold under the brand name Revia among others, is a medication primarily used to manage alcohol or opioid use disorder by reducing cravings and feelings of euphoria associated with substance use disorder. It has also been found t ...
. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor
Larry Hogan
Lawrence Joseph Hogan Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 62nd governor of Maryland since 2015. A moderate member of the Republican Party, he was secretary of appointments under Maryland governor Bo ...
on May 13, 2019.
During the 2020 legislative session, Barron introduced legislation to ease restrictions on when prosecutors could use
hearsay evidence
Hearsay evidence, in a legal forum, is testimony from an under-oath witness who is reciting an out-of-court statement, the content of which is being offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. In most courts, hearsay evidence is inadmi ...
in cases of
witness intimidation
Witness tampering is the act of attempting to improperly influence, alter or prevent the testimony of witnesses within criminal or civil proceedings.
Witness tampering and reprisals against witnesses in organized crime cases have been a difficult ...
, and another bill to designate witness intimidation a crime of violence.
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
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA was created by the United States Con ...
board, and vendors in stations to boost revenue. During the 2018 legislative sesssion, he introduced legislation to raise the state's annual contribution to Metro by $125 million a year if
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
and the
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
agreed to do the same.
Electoral history
References
External links
Biography at U.S. Department of Justice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barron, Erek L.
1974 births
Living people
21st-century American lawyers
21st-century American politicians
African-American lawyers
African-American politicians
African-American state legislators in Maryland
Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia) alumni
George Washington University Law School alumni
Georgetown University Law Center alumni
Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates
United States Attorneys for the District of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park alumni