Greg Abbott

This article is about the politician. For other people with the same name, see Greg Abbott (disambiguation).

Gregory Wayne Abbott
Greg Abbott in front of the Ten Commandments display he argued for in front of the U.S. Supreme Court
Texas Attorney General
Incumbent
Assumed office December 2, 2002
Governor	Rick Perry
Preceded by	John Cornyn
Member of the Texas Supreme Court from Place 5
In office 1995–2001
Governor	George W. Bush (1996-2000) Rick Perry (2000-2001)
Preceded by	Jack E. Hightower
Personal details
Born	(1957-11-13) November 13, 1957 Wichita Falls, Texas
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Cecilia P. Abbott
Children	Audrey
Residence	Austin, Texas
Alma mater	University of Texas (B.B.A.); Vanderbilt University Law School (J.D.)
Religion	Roman Catholic

Gregory Wayne "Greg" Abbott(born November 13, 1957) is the Texas Attorney General, and is the second Republican since Reconstruction to serve in that role. Abbott was sworn in on December 2, 2002, following John Cornyn's election to the U.S. Senate. Prior to assuming the office of attorney general, Abbott was a justice on the Texas Supreme Court, a position to which he was initially appointed in 1995 by then-Governor George W. Bush. He is noted outside the state of Texas for successfully advocating the ability of the state of Texas to display the Ten Commandments in front of the state Capitol in Austin in a 2005 United States Supreme Court case known as Van Orden v. Perry.

Sources from WFAA-TV, ABC 8 Dallas confirm that Abbott has told donors he will seek the Texas Governor's Mansion in the 2014 gubernatorial election.

Early life, education, and early law career

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott speaking in Phoenix, Arizona in 2012.

Abbott was born in Wichita Falls and was raised in Duncanville (Dallas County).

In 1981, he earned a BBA in finance from the University of Texas in Austin. In 1984, he earned his law degree from the Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee. At age 26, Abbott was struck by a falling oak tree that injured his back as he jogged by. He has used a wheelchair ever since.

He went into private practice. He worked for Butler and Binion, LLC between 1984-1992. Abbott’s political career began in Houston, where he served as a state trial judge in the 129th District Court for three years.

Judicial career (1996-2001)

Then Texas governor, George W. Bush appointed Abbott to the Texas Supreme Court, and he was then twice elected to the state's highest civil court—in 1996 (two-year term) and 1998 (six-year term). In 1996, Abbott had no Democratic opponent but was challenged by Libertarian John B. Hawley of Dallas. Abbott defeated Hawley 84%-16%. In 1998, Abbott defeated Democrat David Van Os 60%-40%.

As a judge he received awards including: "Jurist of the Year" from the Texas Review of Law & Politics; "Trial Judge of the Year" from the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists; and "Appellate Judge of the Year" from the Texas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates^{[citation needed]}

In 2001, he went back to private practice and worked for Bracewell and Patterson, LLC. He was also an adjunct professor at University of Texas School of Law.

Texas Attorney General (2002-Present)

2002 election

Abbott resigned from the Supreme Court in 2001 to seek the open attorney general's position in 2002. The previous Attorney General John Cornyn vacated the post to run for the U.S. Senate. Abbott defeated the Democratic nominee, former Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, 57%-41%.

Lawsuit against Sony BMG

Main article: Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal

On November 21, 2005, Abbott sued Sony BMG. Texas is the first state in the nation to bring legal action against Sony BMG for illegal spyware. The suit is also the first filed under the state’s spyware law of 2005. It alleges the company surreptitiously installed the spyware on millions of compact music discs (CDs) that consumers inserted into their computers when they play the CDs, which can compromise the systems. On December 21, 2005 Abbott added new allegations to his lawsuit against Sony-BMG. Abbott says the MediaMax copy protection technology violates the state's spyware and deceptive trade practices laws. He says Sony-BMG offered consumers a licensing agreement when they bought CDs and played them on their computers. But, Abbott alleges in the lawsuit that even if consumers reject that agreement, spyware is secretly installed on their computers, which pose security risks for music buyers. Abbott said "We keep discovering additional methods Sony used to deceive Texas consumers who thought they were simply buying music", and "Thousands of Texans are now potential victims of this deceptive game Sony played with consumers for its own purposes." In addition to violations of the Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act of 2005, which allows for civil penalties of $100,000 for each violation of the law, the alleged violations added in the updated lawsuit, on December 21, 2005, carry maximum penalties of $20,000 per violation.

Van Orden v. Perry

On March 2, 2005, Abbott appeared before the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., where he defended a Ten Commandments monument on the Texas State Capitol grounds. Dozens of similar monuments were donated to cities and towns across the nation throughout the 1960s by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, who were inspired by the 1956 epic The Ten Commandments; in doing so, they gained the support of the film's director Cecil B. DeMille. The Supreme Court held in a 5-4 majority opinion, found the Texas display did not violate the Establishment Clause and was constitutional.

Hailing the Supreme Court's decision, Abbott said: "This is a great victory not just for Texans, but for all Americans. With this ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a clear message that the Texas Ten Commandments can be displayed on public grounds in recognition of the historical role they have played in the foundation of this country and its laws." The Ten Commandments monument still stands just to the northwest of the Capitol in Austin.

2006 election

In the November 7 general election, Abbott was challenged by civil rights attorney David Van Os, who had been his Democratic opponent in the 1998 election for state Supreme Court. He won re-election to a second term 60%-37%.

2010 election

Abbott ran for an unprecedented third term. Abbott also campaigned for other Republican candidates in 2010 including Jim Landtroop, the Plainview insurance agent. While on his Plainview stop, Abbott cited his and Landtroop's mutual opposition to the health care plan signed into law in March 2010 by President Barack Obama. He handily defeated the Democratic attorney Barbara Ann Radnofsky of Houston and, once again, the Libertarian Jon Roland. Radnofsky was also the unsuccessful Democratic candidate opposing U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in the 2006 general election. Abbott defeated Radnofsky 64%-34%. He is the longest-serving Texas Attorney General in Texas history.

2014 election for governor

Main article: Texas gubernatorial election, 2014

He is also rumored as a possible candidate for Governor in 2014 if Governor Rick Perry doesn't seek a fourth term. In the first six months of 2011, he raised by far the most amount of any other Texas politician, raising $1.6 million. The next highest fundraiser among state officeholders was Texas Comptroller Susan Combs with $611,700.

Personal life

He and his wife, Cecilia P. Abbott, a former school teacher and principal, were married in 1982. They have a daughter named Audrey (born 1997). He is a paraplegic.

Election history

2006

Texas general election, 2006: Texas Attorney General
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Greg Abbott	2,556,063	59.51	+2.79
	Democratic	David Van Os	1,599,069	37.23	-3.85
	Libertarian	Jon Roland	139,668	3.25	1.99
Majority			956.994	22.28	6.65
Turnout			4,294,800
	Republican hold

2002

Texas general election, 2002: Texas Attorney General
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Greg Abbott	2,542,184	56.72
	Democratic	Kirk Watson	1,841,359	41.08
	Libertarian	Jon Roland	56,880	1.26
	Green	David Keith Cobb	41,560	0.92
Majority			700,825	15.63
Turnout			4,481,983
	Republican hold

1998

Texas general election, 1998: Texas Supreme Court, Place 3
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Greg Abbott	2,104,828	60.11
	Democratic	David Van Os	1,396,924	39.89
Majority			707,904	20.21
Turnout			3,501,752
	Republican hold

References

• Official biography
• Supreme Court on a Shoestring, The Washington Post, February 21, 2005
• http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=1121
• http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0628/p01s03-usju.html
• Office of the Attorney General of Texas
• Attorney General Abbott's campaign website