As the Texas Senate’s impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton is set to take place no later than August 28th, Governor Greg Abbott has appointed an interim Attorney General to take over the duties of Texas’ legal representative. John Scott has taken over the Attorney General’s office, with years of experience and a working relationship with the Governor. Scott served as Deputy Attorney General under Abbott when Abbott was the Attorney General for 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 in a press release. “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.”

In Texas, when the State House of Representatives impeaches someone, they are suspended until the Texas Senate hears their case and votes to either impeach them or acquit them. If Ken Paxton is acquitted, then he will resume his duties as Texas Attorney General. If he is impeached, then he will be kicked out of office. 

The interim Attorney General will take over the duties of The Texas Attorney General until Paxton is either acquitted, or John Scott will take over until the next election. 

In his career, Scott has experience in the four Federal District Courts of Texas, various Courts of Appeals, The Texas Supreme Court, and The Supreme Court of the United States. During his time as Deputy Attorney General, Scott “oversaw all civil litigation, including over 22,000 lawsuits involving Texas.”

According to Governor Abbot’s Press Release, “The courtroom victories [of Scott] include the successful defense of a health maintenance organization (HMO), which the National Law Journal declared the U.S. Healthcare Victory of the Year.”

Scott previously served as Texas Secretary of State, his duties of which were the chief elections officer and chief international protocol officer. Scott is also a former Chief Operating Officer of the Texas Health and Human Services Department. 

Currently, Scott serves Texas as the Chief of the Board for the Texas Department of Information Resources. 

Scott’s private practice is in Fort Worth, Texas.