Erek L. Barron will become the first Black U.S. attorney for Maryland after the Senate confirmed his nomination to the position Thursday.

Barron, a Maryland state delegate, was nominated for the post by President Biden on July 26.

“We recommended Erek to President Biden because we knew he would bring exceptional skills to this challenging and critically important position,” U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, both Maryland Democrats, said in a joint statement. “We are confident that Erek will use his background as both a prosecutor and state legislator to improve public safety in our state and help ensure all Marylanders are treated fairly in the criminal justice system.”

Barron (D-Prince George’s) currently works for Whiteford Taylor & Preston focusing on “business litigation and crisis management,” according to the firm’s website. He has served as counsel and crime policy adviser to then-Sen. Joe Biden on the Senate Judiciary Committee, as a federal prosecutor and an assistant state’s attorney for Baltimore City and Prince George’s County.

Barron was part of the Maryland legislature’s Black Caucus, which proposed police reform legislation last year after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer.

He succeeds Robert K. Hur, who resigned in February. Jonathan Lenzner has been serving as acting U.S. attorney for Maryland.

Barron’s official start date is not set, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office.