1. Scott Anthony Surovell was born on August 21,1971 and is an American lawyer and politician, representing the Virginia's 34th Senate district, which encompasses the city of Fairfax and portions of Fairfax County, and serving as the current majority leader of the Virginia Senate.
Scott Surovell previously represented the 36th district which included portions of Prince William and Stafford counties until the 2023 redistricting and the 44th district in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Scott Surovell graduated in 1993, with a major in Political Science.
Scott Surovell worked for DMV Deputy Commissioner Bill Leighty, who later served as chief of staff under governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.
Scott Surovell earned a JD degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1996, where he served as executive editor of the Virginia Journal of Environmental Law.
Scott Surovell is a trial lawyer specializing in criminal and traffic defense, domestic relations, personal injury, consumer class action and commercial litigation.
In 2002, Scott Surovell founded Scott Surovell Markle Isaacs and Levy PLC, a firm which specialized in representing individuals and small businesses throughout Northern Virginia with four other attorneys.
Scott Surovell argued his first case before the Supreme Court of Virginia at age 28 involving a fraud claim involving the sale of a used car.
In 2007, Scott Surovell successfully blocked an insurance company from paying a man convicted of killing his wife $100,000 of life insurance proceeds from his wife's policy.
In 2010, Scott Surovell won a $4.80-million jury verdict in favor of a Vienna family who was permanently injured in a fireworks accident in the Town of Vienna.
In 2003, Scott Surovell was elected Chairman of the Mount Vernon District Democratic Committee of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee.
In 2009, Scott Surovell resigned as Chairman of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee in order to run for the House of Delegates.
In 2014, Scott Surovell was elected Caucus Chairman by the Virginia House Democratic Caucus.
For several years Scott Surovell has written a blog, entitled The Dixie Pig, named after a now-defunct restaurant on US Route 1 in his district that was his grandmother's favorite.
In January 2015 Scott Surovell announced a run for the Virginia Senate, District 36, hoping to fill the seat of retiring Senator Toddy Puller.
Scott Surovell was appointed to the General Laws and Technology Committee, Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee and Local Government Committee.
In 2016, Scott Surovell was appointed to the Virginia High Speed Rail Commission.
In 2019, Scott Surovell was elected Vice Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
Scott Surovell has been a leader in the Virginia General Assembly on government transparency, criminal justice reform, consumer protection and environmental protection.
In 2016, Scott Surovell passed legislation requiring government officials to redact public documents instead of withholding entire records and passed similar legislation applying to homeowner, condo and cooperative associations the following year.
Scott Surovell passed legislation creating civil penalties for destroying public records to avoid Freedom of Information Act requests.
In 2018, Scott Surovell carried legislation that authorized $3.4 million of payments from the Commonwealth of Virginia to pay for the wrongful incarceration of the Norfolk Four if the monies were matched by the City of Norfolk.
In 2020, Scott Surovell carried legislation that allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain driving privileges making Virginia the 17th state to allow such privileges.
Scott Surovell was Chief Sponsor of successful legislation to make Virginia the first Southern state to ban conversion therapy, passed legislation banning driving with a handheld mobile phone, and fracking for natural gas anywhere east of Interstate 95 in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Scott Surovell led efforts to reform Virginia's criminal justice system in the 2021 Special Session that led to the end of Virginia's 200 year-old jury sentencing law and passage of legislation attacking racial profiling, policing reforms, restoring sentencing alternatives for rehabilitation, and expanding Virginia's credits for early release from prison.
Scott Surovell led the efforts to reform Virginia's restrictive law prohibiting expungement or sealing of misdemeanor and felony convictions, and led the study and legislation that expanded the Court of Appeals of Virginia from 11 to 17 judges and provided of right of appeal in every civil and criminal case like every other state.
On November 15,2023, Scott Surovell was elected Majority Leader of the Virginia Senate - beating out Hampton State Senator Mamie Locke.