Van Hollen, Cardin, Praise Biden Nominee Erek Barron for U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) praised President Joe Biden's nomination of Delegate Erek Barron to be the new U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. If confirmed by the Senate, Delegate Barron (District 24, Prince George County) would be the first Black U.S. Attorney in Maryland's history.

"Our state must have a U.S. attorney who is fiercely committed to delivering equal justice under the law to every Marylander. Erek Barron's tireless efforts to build a better, fairer justice system in Maryland, his years of experience serving our constituents, and his deep understanding of the challenges we face qualify him as an outstanding nomination for this position. Together with Senator Cardin, I was proud to recommend Erek to serve in this role, and I know he will work with us to improve public safety, address gun violence, uphold the City of Baltimore's consent decree, and strengthen our justice system. We'll be working to confirm his historic nomination in the Senate at once," said Senator Van Hollen.

"Maryland needs a U.S. Attorney with integrity and independence, as well as the strength and experience to tackle the unacceptably high level of violent crime in Baltimore City. With Senator Van Hollen, I was proud to recommend Erek Barron for this position as a guardian of the civil rights and civil liberties of all Marylanders," said Senator Cardin. "Erek has demonstrated a passion for public service throughout his entire career and he will bring to this position a unique set of professional experiences and skills that will serve Marylanders well. His track record of enacting reforms to the criminal justice system and serving as a federal and state prosecutor -- including prosecuting cases in Baltimore City and Prince George's County -- make him well-positioned to take on this lead federal law enforcement role for our state."

Delegate Barron currently chairs the Prince George's County House Delegation in Annapolis. He co-authored the Justice Reinvestment Act, which was bipartisan legislation to overhaul the state's sentencing and corrections practices. These efforts have helped to save scarce government resources, reduce the prison population, cut the rate of recidivism, and enhance mental and behavioral health initiatives.

If confirmed by the Senate, Barron would fill the position previously held by U.S. Attorney Robert Hur. Hur resigned in February 2021 shortly after President Biden took office. Jonathan Lenzner has been serving as Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland since that time.

"We thank Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lenzner for his outstanding service. In February, when Robert Hur retired, Jonathan stepped in seamlessly during the transition to become the Acting U.S. Attorney, after serving as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for several years. We particularly appreciate Jonathan's focus on reducing violent crime in Baltimore through his close partnership with state and local officials in coordination with the Baltimore Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). Jonathan should be proud of his tireless work to improve the quality of life of Marylanders and uphold the rule of law, consistent with the highest ideals of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)," the Senators said.

DELEGATE EREK BARRON

Delegate Erek Barron received his B.A. from the University of Maryland College Park, his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School, and his LLM from the Georgetown University Law Center. He served as an Assistant State's Attorney in Prince George's County, from 2001-2004. He then served as an Assistant State's Attorney in Baltimore City from 2004-2006. He served as a Trial Attorney at DOJ from 2006 to 2007, before then becoming a Counsel and Policy Advisor to then-U.S. Senator Joe Biden on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He served as the Managing Principal of Barron and Associates, LLC, from 2009-2012. He then served as counsel and eventually as Partner at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP.

Delegate Barron was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2014, and in 2020 was elected as Chair of the Prince George's County House Delegation, the second largest delegation in the Maryland General Assembly. He co-chairs the Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight, and serves on the Health and Government Operations Committee.

He has been a member of the Maryland Bar since 1999, and is an active member of the legal bar of the state. He currently serves as Secretary of the Maryland State Bar Association and is a Past-President of the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association. He has also served on numerous other nonprofit boards, including the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau and the Maryland Public Defender's Office.

Delegate Barron lives in Bowie (Prince George's County, Maryland), with his wife and daughter. They are members of Reid Temple, AME Church, in Glenn Dale, Maryland.

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