August 5, 2025
In a significant legal and cultural milestone, Mathura Sridharan, a highly accomplished Indian-origin attorney, has been appointed as the 12th Solicitor General of Ohio. The announcement was made by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost
Sridharan, known for her legal acumen in constitutional and appellate law, now assumes the role of the state’s top appellate advocate
representing Ohio before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Sixth Circuit, and the Ohio Supreme Court. She takes over from Elliot Gaiser, who was recently appointed to the U.S. Department of Justice under the Trump-aligned administration.
As director of Ohio’s Tenth Amendment Center, Sridharan led major litigation defending states’ rights against federal encroachment.
Her most notable success came in Ohio v. EPA (2023), where she argued before the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s cross-state air pollution rule under the “good neighbor” plan. The Court ruled in favor of Ohio and its partner states, marking a pivotal decision on the balance of federal and state regulatory power.
AG Dave Yost praised Sridharan as “one of the most brilliant lawyers I’ve worked with,” adding that both of her predecessors Benjamin Flowers and Elliot Gaiser—recommended her unanimously.
However, her appointment wasn’t without controversy. Online trolls targeted her for wearing a bindi and for her Indian name. Some comments baselessly questioned her American citizenship. Yost swiftly responded:
“If her name or her complexion bother you, the problem is not with her or her appointment.”
He clarified that Sridharan is a U.S. citizen, married to an American citizen, and the daughter of naturalized U.S. citizens.
Outside her legal career, Sridharan is trained in Carnatic classical music, having performed in India’s famed December music season in Chennai. She is married to Ashwin Suresh, an entrepreneur and fellow MIT graduate.
In this high-profile environmental law case, Sridharan argued that the EPA overstepped its constitutional authority by enforcing a cross-state pollution regulation without properly considering state plans. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Ohio, reinforcing the role of states under the Clean Air Act and the Tenth Amendment.
