AUSTIN – Gov. Greg Abbott appointed John Scott as the short-term interim Attorney General of Texas Wednesday during Ken Paxton’s impeachment proceedings, according to a news release.
Abbott said Scott, an attorney with over 34 years of experience, “has the background and experience needed to step in as a short-term interim Attorney General” while Paxton has been suspended from duty.
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The Fort Worth native served under Abbott in the Texas Attorney General’s Office. He was the Deputy Attorney General for Civil Litigation and has handled cases at all levels of the justice system, the governor said.
“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,” Abbott said.
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According to the news release, Scott oversaw all civil litigation, including over 22,000 lawsuits involving Texas. He 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, the governor said.
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