Governor John Kasich has appointed Judge Judith L. French to the Ohio Supreme Court, effective January 1, 2013. Judge French will fill the vacancy that will be created by the retirement of Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton at the end of the year. Judge French has been serving on the Franklin County Ohio Appeals Court in Columbus since 2004. Before serving on the Court of Appeals, Judge French served as chief legal counsel to Governor Bob Taft, chief counsel and assistant Attorney General in the Office of Attorney General Betty D. Montgomery, and deputy director for Legal Affairs in the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Judge French will hold her new Ohio Supreme Court seat until November 2014, when she will have to run in the general election.