On Thursday, July 31, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost appointed Indian-origin lawyer Mathura Sridharan as the state’s 12th Solicitor General, highlighting the rising diversity of American legal leadership. However, the historic event was overshadowed by a barrage of derogatory remarks about Sridharan’s ethnicity and cultural identity.
The appointment was announced by Yost on the social media platform X, where he praised Sridharan’s legal acumen and prior achievements. “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,” Yost wrote.
Racist Trolls Question Sridharan’s Americanness
Despite her qualifications and endorsement by legal veterans, Sridharan became the target of racist trolling on social media. Trolls questioned her Americanness, mocked her Indian heritage, and took aim at her for wearing a bindi.
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“Why would you select someone who isn’t an American for such an important role?” read one of the derogatory comments. Another user commented, “Well, the dot is discreet, but ultimately still visible,” in an apparent reference to Sridharan’s bindi.
These remarks reflect a broader cultural ignorance and underline the challenges faced by people of color in high-profile public roles, even when they are U.S. citizens with exemplary credentials.
Who is Mathura Sridharan?
Mathura Sridharan is currently serving as Deputy Solicitor General in Ohio and has a reputation as a constitutional expert. Before her promotion, she served as Director of Ohio’s Tenth Amendment Center, where she led lawsuits defending state sovereignty and challenging federal overreach.
According to The Federalist Society, Sridharan initiated and led “suits to defend Ohioans against unlawful federal policies and to preserve the separation of powers between the federal and state governments.”
She earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees in electrical engineering, computer science, and economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Later, she pursued law at the New York University School of Law and graduated in 2018. She has clerked for prominent judges on both the U.S. District and Appeals Courts.
Dave Yost Condemns the Hate
Attorney General Dave Yost strongly defended Sridharan amid the backlash, stating that questioning her Americanness was factually incorrect and morally unacceptable.
“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 bothers you, the problem is not with her or her appointment,” Yost posted on X.
His response garnered support from legal professionals and civil rights advocates who applauded him for standing by his colleague.
