Justice French Backs Buckeyes in Bet with Michigan Supreme Court Justice
By Csaba Sukosd | November 21, 2018
Two iconic college football programs and their fan bases won't be the only ones with bragging rights on the line this weekend. A pair of state Supreme Court justices will also be intently watching "The Game."
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith French and Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bridget Mary McCormack are putting their allegiances and a wager on the line as part of the annual Ohio State versus Michigan game.
"Having spent eight years at Ohio State, Michigan week is kind of engrained," said Justice French.
The Ohio State University and Moritz College of Law alumna came up with the idea after recently meeting Justice McCormack, who's a former professor and associate dean at the University of Michigan Law School.
"We both have an interest in legal aid and access to justice and I was on a panel discussion with her. So, she came to mind," said Justice French.
The exact terms have yet to be decided, but will likely revolve around tasty treats from the loser's home state.
"They could be some favorite [Ohio] ice cream on dry ice," she said. "I hear there's a particular deli in Ann Arbor [Zingerman's Delicatessen] that might be part of the stakes, [as well]."
It's a payment that will be made in person as part of a much bigger purpose.
"The reason for the personal delivery, whether in Ohio or in Michigan, is really to benchmark, to find out particularly with access to justice: what are they doing, what's working, what are they doing in Michigan than we're doing in Ohio, and maybe compare some results and see if there's some things we might be able to do better and give more people access to the justice system," Justice French said.