Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has nominated former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith French as director of the Ohio Department of Insurance.

In his announcement, DeWine noted French's more than 30 years of experience, and said that French is a "solid, good, smart, dedicated public servant" whom he has known for a long time and has "some background" in insurance.

According to her bio on the Supreme Court of Ohio website, French served as justice from January 1, 2013 to January 2, 2021. She began her career at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in 1993 as deputy director for legal affairs, and served as assistant attorney general and chief counsel for the state attorney general from 1997 to 2002. She then served as chief legal counsel to Gov. Bob Taft from 2002 to 2004 before being elected as a judge on the Tenth District Court of Appeals in 2004.