Busing Case Hurt Jock Scott's Political Aspirations
Jock Scott (1947–2009) was elected to a third four-year term in the legislature in 1983 despite the desegregation controversy from 1980-1981. He switched his partisan allegiance from Democrat to Republican in 1985. In 1987, he ran for the Louisiana State Senate but was defeated by Democrat William Joseph "Joe" McPherson, Jr., of Pineville. Jock Scott said that his loss may have been partly attributed to opposition in rural areas of Rapides Parish to his father's busing orders even though seven years had passed since the decision.
Judge Scott continued in senior status almost until his death and relished recounting to family, friends and associates the difficult days and circumstances of his celebrated cases. Even many years after these decisions, he remained concerned about their implementation and defended their correctness. He was conflicted about his place in the civil rights history of the region and understood the emotions his decisions caused among so many. His nephew Reverend Pike Thomas recalled a favorite memory, that Scott, in spite of his highly controversial persona, never delisted his telephone or public listing in the local telephone book and often courteously received the most reviling calls, even death threats, from local irate residents. "He was an example of rock-ribbed integrity mingles with compassion," Thomas stated.
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