Van Hollen Won’t Seek Public Office After Stepping Down As Attorney General

Outgoing Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says he won’t be running for state Supreme Court or any other public office after he steps down next month.

Van Hollen said that after a total of 22 years of public service — including eight as attorney general — his next job will be in the private sector. He said he won’t announce what that job will be until after his successor, Brad Schimel, takes over .

“It’s very important for me to be able to have the flexibility to spend more time with my family than the public sector permits,” said Van Hollen.

In his two terms in office, Van Hollen said he’s most proud of his success at clearing up the backlog in processing DNA samples at the state crime lab and the expansion of a training program for local DAs and police officers investigating Internet crimes against children.