As Ohio’s new Indian American solicitor general Mathura Sridharan came under attack for wearing the traditional “bindi” on her forehead, her boss Attorney General Dave Yost quickly came out in her support.
“If her name or her complexion bother you, the problem is with them, not her,” he posted on X lambasting “a few commenters” for suggesting “incorrectly that Mathura is not American.”
Sridharan is a United States citizen, married to a U.S. citizen, and the child of naturalized US citizens, he pointed out. Despite the noise online, Yost affirmed his confidence in Sridharan’s abilities saying, “She will serve Ohio well.”
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Highlighting her qualifications, he wrote, “Mathura is brilliant… she won her argument at SCOTUS last year.” Both of her previous supervisors — former Solicitor Generals Benjamin Flowers and Michael Hendershot — strongly recommended her for the role, he noted.
Currently serving as Deputy Solicitor General and head of Ohio’s Tenth Amendment Center, Sridharan has a strong academic background. She earned her JD from NYU School of Law in 2018 and holds Master’s and dual Bachelor’s degrees from MIT in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Economics.
She also leads Ohio’s Tenth Amendment Center, where she directs litigation on behalf of the state challenging what the office describes as “unlawful federal policies.”
Sridharan previously clerked for Judge Steven J. Menashi of the Second Circuit and Judge Deborah A. Batts of the Southern District of New York.
Her appointment follows the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of former Ohio Solicitor General T. Elliot Gaiser to lead the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice.
“Mathura is a relentless defender of Ohioans, a champion of federalism and a legal force to be reckoned with in a courtroom,” wrote Yost. “Her brilliant legal mind and masterful understanding of constitutional law make her the obvious choice to lead the team as Ohio’s solicitor general.”
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Earlier, as Yost named Sridharan as his pick for Ohio’s 12th solicitor general, the state’s top attorney for appeals in state and federal courts on July 31, a few mocked her on social media for wearing a “bindi” and asserting she did not deserve the post.
“Is she a Christian?” asked one. “That’s the biggest factor that concerns me. Based on the bindi on her forehead, I worry she is not. That absolutely should matter to us when choosing our leaders.”
“She’s Indian. They all have a loyalty first to other Indians. horrible pick,” wrote another. “Totally un-American. The GOP is pathetic.”
“Why would you select someone who isn’t an American for such an important role?,” asked yet another X user. “Nothing says “Ohioan” like a dot right on the forehead,” wrote one.