Judith French

“The Supreme Court of Ohio: What We Do and Why It’s Important”

 

For the past two decades Justice Judi French has dedicated her career to public service.

 In 1993 she joined the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency as deputy director for legal affairs. From 1997 to 2002, she worked for Attorney General Betty Montgomery as an assistant attorney general, and later as chief counsel. During her time in the Attorney General’s office, Justice French represented the State of Ohio twice in front of the United States Supreme Court. One of these cases was the Cleveland School Voucher case, where she served as lead counsel. Her successful presentation of the state’s position helped ensure equitable educational opportunities for every Ohio elementary school student. Then, in 2002 she began working for Governor Bob Taft as his chief legal counsel.

In November 2004, Justice French was elected to the Tenth District Court of Appeals in Franklin County, where she was re-elected in November 2010. On January 1, 2013 she became the 155th justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio after being appointed by Governor Kasich in December 2012.
Although her two decades of public service are valuable to her experience, she also has experience in the corporate and private practice arenas. Justice French served as in-house counsel for a large manufacturing company and as an associate for the Columbus law firm of Porter Wright, where she practiced environmental law.

Justice French is a proud alumnus of The Ohio State University, where she earned three degrees: a B.A. in political science; an M.A. in history, with a concentration in military history and strategic studies; and a J.D. with honors. She also currently serves her alma mater as a member of the Moritz College of Law National Council.

A native of Mahoning County, Justice Judi French grew up in Sebring, Ohio. She currently resides in Grandview Heights with her husband and their children.