Gov. Kasich Appoints French as New Supreme Court Justice

Release:

COLUMBUS – Governor John R. Kasich today announced the appointment of Judge Judith L. French of the 10th District Court of Appeals to replace Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton. French has served on the 10th District Court since 2004. French’s appointment becomes effective on January 1, 2013.

French replaces Stratton who announced in May that she would retire by the end of the year. Stratton’s term expires on January 1, 2015. In October, Gov. Kasich began accepting applications for individuals interested in an appointment to Justice Stratton’s seat, and tapped seven distinguished legal professionals to provide independent advice and help evaluate applicants to ensure a capable successor to Stratton was chosen.

“While our state will miss Justice Stratton, Ohioans can be confident Judge French has the diverse experience and strong legal mind required to serve on Ohio’s highest court. Judge French has demonstrated her dedication to preserving the rule of law, to Ohio and its constitution, and I’m proud to appoint her to the Supreme Court,” said Kasich.

French has been practicing law since her graduation from The Ohio State University College of Law in 1988. In 1993 she began her service to the state of Ohio as Deputy Director of Legal Affairs at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. She went on to serve as Section Chief and Chief Counsel to Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery from 1997-2002 and as Chief Counsel to Ohio Governor Bob Taft from 2002-2004. She is a member of the Constitutional Modernization Commission co-chaired by Speaker William Batchelder and Rep. Vernon Sykes and serves on the OSU Moritz College of Law National Council, the Ohio Women’s Bar Association, and has been a mentor in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. French is also a board member of Amethyst, Inc., a center for long-term addiction treatment with safe housing for women and their children.

Judge French’s biography is available here.