Ohio’s new Solicitor General Mathura Sridharan faces backlash, Attorney General defends her appointment

Washington: Indian-origin Mathura Sridharan has been appointed Ohio’s 12th Solicitor General, the Attorney General’s office announced in a statement on X. However, her appointment faced backlash with trolls questioning why a ‘non-US citizen’ was selected for the position, with some even pointing to her bindi, saying “This one has a perma-dot, huh.”

In a post on X, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office stated: “AG Yost today named Mathura Sridharan as his pick for Ohio’s 12th solicitor general, the state’s top attorney for appeals in state and federal courts.”

In response to the announcement made on X, some of the online users criticised her appointment. One user said, “Couldn’t find a citizen and native of the United States for the job?” Another user wrote, “Native Ohioans can’t even get jobs with the state. Who is this foreigner? Did Ohio run out of Americans?”

Another social media user wrote, “Nothing says ‘Ohioan’ like a dot right on the forehead”, while another wrote: “This one has a perma-dot, huh.” Another online user commented, “What’s the dot on her forehead?” Another user questioned her appointment, saying, “No Americans were available?”

In response to the trolls, AG Yost defended Sridharan’s appointment and praised her legal abilities, calling her “brilliant.” He expressed confidence that she will serve Ohio well and mentioned that Sridharan is a US citizen.

“A few commenters have asserted incorrectly that Mathura is not American. She is a United States citizen, married to a US citizen, and the child of naturalised US citizens. If her name or her complexion bothers you, the problem is not with her or her appointment,” Yost posted on X.

“Mathura is brilliant… she won her argument at SCOTUS last year. Both the SGs she worked under (Flowers and Gaiser) recommended her. I told her when I originally hired her, I needed her to argue with me. She does… All the time! Excited to promote her. She will serve Ohio well,” he further stated.

Currently, Sridharan works as Deputy Solicitor General in Ohio’s Office of the Solicitor General. She also heads Ohio’s Tenth Amendment Centre. Prior to joining the Ohio Solicitor’s Office, she clerked for Judge Steven J. Menashi (US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit) and Judge Deborah A Batts (US District Court, Southern District of New York).

In 2018, she earned her Juris Doctor (JD) from New York University School of Law. She has completed her Master’s in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Furthermore, she holds dual Bachelor’s degrees from MIT in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and in Economics.

IANS