John B. Scott
Attorney General of Texas
Interim
May 31, 2023 – July 14, 2023
Served during Ken Paxton's suspension
GovernorGreg Abbott
Preceded byBrent Webster (acting)
Succeeded byAngela Colmenero (interim)
114th Secretary of State of Texas
In office
October 21, 2021 – December 31, 2022
GovernorGreg Abbott
Preceded byRuth R. Hughs
Joe Esparza (acting)
Succeeded byJane Nelson
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Texas, Austin (BA)
South Texas College of Law Houston (JD)

John B. Scott is an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Republican Party, he was Secretary of State of Texas from 2021 to 2022, and was interim Texas attorney general for a brief period in 2023. Governor Greg Abbott appointed Scott to both positions.

Career

He earned a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Texas, Austin and his Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law Houston.[1]

Scott was the deputy attorney general for civil litigation in the Texas Attorney General's Office, under then-Attorney General Greg Abbott.[2][3] He later became chief operating officer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.[2]

After the 2020 presidential election, Scott briefly represented Donald Trump in one of his many failed lawsuits that attempted to overturn the election results and keep Trump in power; the lawsuit in which Scott represented Trump specifically sought to nullify the election result in Pennsylvania, where Joe Biden “defeated” Trump.[2][4]

In May 2021, Ruth Ruggero Hughs resigned as Secretary of State of Texas.[2] On October 21, 2021, Governor Abbott appointed Scott, a member of the Republican Party, as interim secretary of state.[2] Like Abbott's three previous nominees as secretary of state, Scott was not confirmed by the Texas Senate (his successor, Jane Nelson, was confirmed by the Senate).[5] In early December 2022, Scott said he would resign as secretary of state at the end of the year, and his resignation took effect on December 31, 2022.[6][7][8]

After stepping down as secretary of state, Scott worked as a lobbyist during the 2023 session of the Texas Legislature.[8] His clients included South Texas College; the Human Coalition, an anti-abortion group; a blockchain firm based in New York; and a subsidiary of HealthPlan.[8]

On May 31, 2023, after state Attorney General Ken Paxton was automatically suspended from office upon his impeachment by the Texas House of Representatives, Abbott appointed Scott as the interim Attorney General for the period of Paxton's suspension.[8] Scott resigned on July 14, 2023, and was replaced as interim AG by Angela Colmenero, a lawyer and Abbott's deputy chief of staff.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Governor Abbott Names Chair and Appoints Four to Department of Information Resources". Office of the Governor of Texas (Press release). Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Barragán, James; Svitek, Patrick (October 21, 2021). "Gov. Greg Abbott's pick for top Texas election post worked with Trump to fight 2020 results". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  3. ↑ Holtz, Hannah (October 21, 2021). "Governor Abbott appoints new Texas Secretary of State". KCBD 11. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  4. ↑ Mekelburg, Madlin. "Lawyer who represented Trump in 2020 election challenge named Texas secretary of state". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  5. ↑ Hogan Gore, Texas Senate confirms Jane Nelson as secretary of state, two months after taking office, Austin American-Statesman (March 16, 2023).
  6. ↑ Barragán, James (December 5, 2022). "John Scott, Texas' top elections official, to step down at end of year". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Secretary John B. Scott's Resignation Letter" (PDF). www.sos.state.tx.us. December 5, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Zach Despart & Robert Downen, Abbott taps John Scott, former Texas secretary of state, as interim attorney general, Texas Tribune (May 31, 2023).
  9. ↑ Jake Bleiberg (July 11, 2023). "Texas governor names second interim attorney general ahead of Ken Paxton's impeachment trial". Associated Press News.
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