Judith L. “Judi” French (born August 22, 1962) is an American
jurist. She was appointed to the
Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...
by Governor
John Kasich
John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...
, to replace
Evelyn Lundberg Stratton
Evelyn Lundberg Stratton (born February 25, 1953) is an American jurist. She was a justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and is now an attorney with Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease.
Background and education
Evelyn Lundberg Stratton was born to mi ...
, who resigned. A graduate of The
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
, she previously served as a judge of the
Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals. She lost re-election in 2020 to
Democratic appeals court judge
Jennifer Brunner.
Education
French graduated from
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in political science. In 1988 she earned a master's degree in history (Military History & Strategic Studies) from the same university, and Juris Doctor, cum laude, from The
Ohio State University College of Law, now known as the Moritz College of Law.
Legal career
*French was an Associate for Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur from 1988 to 1992 and was Associate Counsel to
Steelcase
Steelcase Inc. is an American manufacturer of furniture, casegoods, seating, and space solutions for offices, hospitals, classrooms, and residential interiors. It is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
History
Originally known as Th ...
in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
from 1992 to 1993.
*In 1993 French became deputy director for Legal Affairs at the
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government Ohio Rev. Code § 121.01 ''et seq.'' responsible for protecting the environment and public health by ensuring compliance with envir ...
. She managed a 25-attorney office.
*In 1997 French became Section Chief, and later Chief Counsel for
Ohio Attorney General
The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Republican Dave Yost.
History
The office of the attor ...
Betty Montgomery. She argued the state's case before 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 ...
in ''
Whitman v. American Trucking Associations, Inc.'' (2001), and ''
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris
''Zelman v. Simmons-Harris'', 536 U.S. 639 (2002), was a 5–4 decision of the United States Supreme Court that upheld an Ohio program that used school vouchers. The Court decided that the program did not violate the Establishment Clause of the Fi ...
'' (2002), a landmark case, where the court upheld the constitutionality of a school voucher system in
Cleveland, Ohio by 5–4.
*From 2002 to 2004, French was Chief Legal Counsel to Governor
Bob Taft
Robert Alphonso Taft III (born January 8, 1942) is an American politician and attorney, who served as the 67th governor of Ohio from 1999 to 2007 as a member of the Republican Party.
A member of the Taft political dynasty, Taft served first in ...
.
*In late September, 2004, Taft appointed French to a seat on the
Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals vacated when
Michael H. Watson was appointed to the
United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (in case citations, S.D. Ohio) is one of two United States district courts in Ohio and includes forty-eight of the state's eighty-eight counties–everything from the Columbus are ...
. She won election to a six-year terms in November, 2004, and again in November 2010.
Supreme Court of Ohio service
In May, 2012,
Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...
Associate Justice
Evelyn Lundberg Stratton
Evelyn Lundberg Stratton (born February 25, 1953) is an American jurist. She was a justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and is now an attorney with Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease.
Background and education
Evelyn Lundberg Stratton was born to mi ...
announced she would retire at the end of 2012. On December 20, 2012,
Ohio Governor John Kasich
John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...
appointed French to Stratton's unexpired term, which ran through January 1, 2015, effective January 1, 2013. No replacement was announced that day for French on the appeals court. French ran for election in 2014.
[ During a campaign rally, French stated that she would serve as a "backstop" to the decisions of GOP officeholders. French later defended her remarks, arguing that they did not violate the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, which states that judicial candidates have a special obligation to ensure that the judicial system is viewed as nonpartisan.]
Ohio Insurance Director tenure
French was appointed to be Director of the Ohio Department of Insurance by Governor Mike DeWine following the expiration of her term as a Supreme Court Justice.
Personal
Judith L. French is a 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 ...
, and 50 years old at the time of her appointment. She is a resident of Grandview Heights, Ohio
Grandview Heights, or simply Grandview, is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,085 at the 2020 census.
The city was originally part of Marble Cliff, one of the first suburbs of Columbus, which settled as a comm ...
, and is a native of Sebring, Ohio. She is married to Franklin County Common Pleas Magistrate Ed Skeens, and has two children.
Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:French, Judith L.
1962 births
Living people
21st-century American judges
21st-century American women judges
Judges of the Ohio District Courts of Appeals
State cabinet secretaries of Ohio
Ohio State University Moritz College of Law alumni
Ohio Republicans
Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences alumni
Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
People from Grandview Heights, Ohio
People from Mahoning County, Ohio
Ohio State University Graduate School alumni