Timothy Charles Fox (born August 22, 1957) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

lawyer and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician who served as the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

from 2013 to 2021. Fox was a candidate for

governor of Montana The governor of Montana is the head of government of MontanaMontana Constitution, Article VI, Section 4. and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Montana National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

in the Republican Primary of the 2020 election.

Early life and education

Fox was born on August 22, 1957. A native of

Hardin, Montana Hardin is a city in and the county seat of Big Horn County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,818 at the 2020 census. It is located just north of the Crow Indian Reservation. History The city was named for Samuel Hardin, a friend o ...

, he is one of five sons of Rich and Roberta Fox. Fox graduated from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

with a bachelor's degree in

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

and then received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Montana School of Law The Alexander Blewett III School of Law is a law school at the University of Montana in Missoula. It was established in 1911 and remains Montana's only law school. , the school accepted 83 applicants. The school tied for 103rd in the 2023 '' ...

. He has also earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of Montana.

Career

Montana Attorney General (2013–2021)

A Republican, Fox was elected Montana Attorney General in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016. During Fox's tenure, the Montana Department of Justice created a statewide testing and tracking system for untested rape kits. Along with other Republican attorneys general, Fox filed suit against the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan and against the Environmental Protection Agency over the Waters of the United States Rule. Fox had represented the inland states' interests in a lawsuit against the state of Washington over its refusal to permit a coal export terminal that would provide access to Asian markets. In December 2020, Fox joined with Texas attorney general

Ken Paxton Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. (born December 23, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Attorney General of Texas since January 2015. Paxton has described himself as a Tea Party conservative. Paxton was re-elected to a th ...

's brief to SCOTUS to delay the electoral college votes of four states. Fox stated that he wanted to address irregularities in the four states that would have favored Democrats. Paxton sued the states of Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, where certified results showed Joe Biden the electoral victor over President Donald Trump. Paxton, who is being investigated by the FBI, was thought to be fishing for a pardon from Trump. Fox joined the lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of the presidential election by challenging election processes in four states where Trump lost. Fox and 16 other states' Attorneys General who supported Paxton's challenge of the election results alleged numerous instances of unconstitutional actions in the four states' presidential ballot tallies, arguments that had already been rejected in other state and federal courts. In '' Texas v. Pennsylvania'', Paxton asked the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

to invalidate the states' sixty-two electoral votes, allowing Trump to be declared the winner of a second presidential term. Because the suit has been characterized as a dispute between states, the Supreme Court retains original jurisdiction, though it frequently declines to hear such suits. There was no evidence of consequential illegal voting in the election. Paxton's lawsuit included claims that had been tried unsuccessfully in other courts and shown to be false. Officials from each of the four states described Paxton's lawsuit as having recycled false and disproven claims of irregularity. The merits of the objections were sharply criticized by legal experts and politicians. Election law expert

Rick Hasen Richard L. Hasen is an American legal scholar and law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is an expert in legislation, election law and campaign finance. Early life and education Hasen received his Bachelor of Arts with hi ...

described the lawsuit as "the dumbest case I've ever seen filed on an emergency basis at the Supreme Court." Nebraska Republican Senator

Ben Sasse Benjamin Eric Sasse ( ; born February 22, 1972) is an American politician and academic administrator serving as the junior United States senator for Nebraska since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. Born in Plainview, Nebraska, Sass ...

said the situation of Paxton initiating the lawsuit "looks like a fella begging for a

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

filed a

PR stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utilize ...

", in reference to Paxton's own state and federal legal issues ( securities fraud charges and abuse of office allegations). On December 11, the U.S. Supreme Court quickly rejected the suit which Fox had joined, in an unsigned opinion.

2020 Montana gubernatorial campaign

Fox was a candidate for

Governor of Montana The governor of Montana is the head of government of MontanaMontana Constitution, Article VI, Section 4. and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Montana National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

in the 2020 election. He lost the Republican primary in a landslide to

Greg Gianforte Gregory Richard Gianforte (born April 17, 1961) is an American businessman, politician, software engineer, and writer serving as the 25th governor of Montana since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Gianforte served as the U.S. representa ...

, earning just 27% of the vote.

Personal life

Fox and his wife, Karen, have four children and six grandchildren. He is a cancer survivor.

Electoral history

Election results can be found on the website of the Montana Secretary of State.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Timothy C. 1957 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American lawyers Candidates in the 2020 United States elections Living people Montana Attorneys General Montana Republicans People from Hardin, Montana University of Montana alumni