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Governor Greg Abbott appointed John Scott as interim attorney general in the wake of the Texas House impeachment of Ken Paxton and his subsequent suspension from office pending a trial in the state Senate. -
DHS Bobbies got a taste of their first summer workouts which began this past Monday. The summer conditioning program is for incoming seventh grade through seniors, and gets young athletes ready for fall sports, as well as simply keeping them fit.
Governor Greg Abbott last Wednesday appointed John Scott as the short-term attorney general of Texas, under Article 15, Section 5 of the Texas Constitution.
The appointment comes following the impeachment of Ken Paxton by the Texas House of Representatives over allegations of misconduct and crimes.
The impeachment triggered Paxton’s automatic suspension from office pending the outcome of a trial in the state Senate that could result in his permanent removal. The Senate has set the trial to begin no later than Aug. 28.
Scott, an attorney, has previously worked in the attorney general’s and recently served as Texas Secretary of State. Abbott appointed him as the state’s chief elections officer in October 2021 and he served until December 2022, when he left the post before the state Senate would vote to confirm his appointment.
“John Scott has the background and experience needed to step in as a short-term interim attorney general during the time the attorney general has been suspended from duty,” Abbott said.
Scott served as Texas deputy attorney general for civil litigation for then-Attorney General Greg Abbott, where he aided with efforts to hold the Obama Administration accountable and sue President Obama more than any other state attorney general. Scott oversaw all civil litigation, including over 22,000 lawsuits involving Texas.
Subsequently, Scott was appointed the first chief operating officer of the Health and Human Services Commission. He oversaw the successful overhaul of the agency, its 56,000 employees, and its over $50 billion biannual budget. After returning to private practice, Abbott appointed Scott as the chair of the board for the Department of Information Resources (DIR). At DIR, Scott developed the strategic plan for technology and security at Texas executive branch agencies and boards.
Scott has successfully tried over 100 lawsuits and has experience handling cases at the United States Supreme Court, Supreme Court of Texas, United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Fifth, Seventh, and Tenth Circuits, almost all Texas Courts of Appeals, United States District Court for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western District Courts of Texas, Texas state courts, and the State Office of Administrative Hearings.
The courtroom victories include the successful defense of a health maintenance organization (HMO), which the National Law Journal declared the U.S. Healthcare Victory of the Year.