Gov. Abbott appoints former Secretary of State John Scott as interim attorney general
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AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Former Texas Secretary of State John Scott was appointed Wednesday by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as interim attorney general following the impeachment of Ken Paxton from the position.
Scott is a Fort Worth attorney with over 34 years of experience, according to a release from Abbott's office.
He most recently served as the secretary of state, but resigned from the role of Texas' top elections official at the end of 2022.
Scott began his tenure as Texas secretary of state in October 2021, following an appointment from Abbott. In his resignation announcement in December, Scott said he'd be returning to his private legal practice. During his time in office, he oversaw four statewide elections in 2022, as well as a forensic audit into the 2020 General Election in Texas.
“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,” said Governor Abbott.
“He served under me in the Texas Attorney General’s Office and knows how the Office of the Attorney General operates. Scott was the Deputy Attorney General for Civil Litigation and has handled cases at all levels of the justice system. His decades of experience and expertise in litigation will help guide him while serving as the state’s top law enforcement officer. I appoint John Scott for this role based on the Texas Constitution to serve for a temporary period during the Texas Senate’s resolution of the impeachment proceedings.”
Gov. Abbott
According to the release from Abbott's office, Scott has successfully tried over 100 lawsuits and has handled cases at the U.S. 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.