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Who is Mathura Sridharan? Ohio's new Indian-origin solicitor general trolled for wearing ‘bindi’
Mathura Sridharan is an Indian-origin American lawyer who is currently serving as the deputy solicitor general at Ohio’s attorney general’s office.
Indian-origin lawyer Mathura Sridharan was appointed as solicitor general for the United States of America’s Ohio state by its Attorney General Dave Yost on Thursday, July 31. What followed was a barrage of racist and derogatory remarks against Sridharan, questioning why the job had not gone to an “American”.
Sridharan is Yost’s pick for Ohio’s 12th solicitor general. Announcing her appointment in a post on X, Yost called her brilliant and said that she will serve the state well.
“Mathura is brilliant… she won her argument at SCOTUS last year. Both the SGs she worked under (Flowers & 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 said in a post on X.
However, Sridharan was at the receiving end of racist trolling over her being an Indian and also wearing a ‘bindi’.
“Why would you select someone who isn't an American for such an important role?” read one reply.
“Well the dot is discreet, but ultimately still visible,” said another, seemingly pointing to her ‘bindi’ as the dot.
Who is Mathura Sridharan?
- Mathura Sridharan is an Indian-origin American lawyer who is currently serving as the deputy solicitor general at Ohio’s attorney general’s office.
- She has been promoted by the state’s attorney general Dave Yost to serve as Ohio’s 12th solicitor general.
- Before this, Sridharan has also served as the Director of Ohio’s Tenth Commandment Centre at the state’s attorney general’s office for over two years.
- As the director of Ohio’s Tenth Amendment Center, Sridharan initiated and directed “suits to defend Ohioans against unlawful federal policies and to preserve separation of powers between the federal and state governments,” according to The Federal Society, a group of “conservatives and libertarians dedicated to reforming the current legal order”. Sridharan is one of the contributors of the society, according to their website.
- Before joining the Ohio Solicitor’s Office, Sridharan clerked for Judge Steven J Menashi of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge Deborah A Batts of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, says The Federal Society’s website.
- Sridharan went to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to pursue Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and computer science and also studied economics in 2008. She also did her Masters from MIT in the same streams.
- Later, in 2015, Sridharan studied law at the New York University School of Law and graduated in 2018.
Dave Yost defends Mathura Sridharan
After Sridharan faced flak post her appointment for being Indian and wearing a ‘bindi’, Yost defended her and said the comments that assert that Mathura is not American are “incorrect”. He added that if Sridharan’s complexion or her name is bothering someone, the problem is with them and not her.
“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 naturalized US citizens. If her name or her complexion bother you, the problem is not with her or her appointment,” he wrote in a post on X.
