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David French (political commentator)

November 27, 2023

David Austin French (born January 24, 1969) is an American political commentator and former attorney who has argued high-profile religious liberty cases. He is a columnist for The New York Times. Formerly a fellow at the National Review Institute and a staff writer for National Review from 2015 to 2019, French currently serves as senior editor of The Dispatch, [2] and occasionally a contributing writer for The Atlantic. French is currently a distinguished visiting professor of public policy at Lipscomb University, his alma mater. [3]

David French
French in 2012
Born
David Austin French

(1969-01-24) January 24, 1969 (age 54)
Opelika, Alabama, U.S.
EducationLipscomb University (BA)
Harvard University (JD)
Political partyRepublican (before 2018)
Independent (2018–present)
SpouseNancy Anderson
Military career
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service2007–2014
RankMajor
UnitJudge Advocate General's Corps
Battles/warsIraq War
AwardsBronze Star Medal[1]

Early life and education edit

French was born in Opelika, Alabama. His parents were students at nearby Auburn University.[4]

French graduated summa cum laude from Lipscomb University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[5][6] He then went on to Harvard Law School where he graduated cum laude in 1994 with a Juris Doctor degree.[7][8][9]

Career edit

French has served as a senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice and the Alliance Defending Freedom (designated a Hate Group by the Southern Poverty Law Center[10]),[11] has lectured at Cornell Law School, and spent much of his career working on religious rights issues.[12] He served as president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).[8] French retired from FIRE in 2005, citing plans to serve in the United States Army Reserve as a judge-advocate general officer.[13][14] He left the legal practice in 2015, and became a staff writer for National Review from 2015 to 2019,[15][16] and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.[17]

French has authored several books,[8] including the non-fiction Divided We Fall (2020).[18][19]

French became a New York Times columnist in January 2023.[20]

LGBT issues edit

In August 2017, French was one of several co-authors of the Nashville Statement, which affirmed "that it is sinful to approve of homosexual immorality or transgenderism and that such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness."[21] The statement was criticized by pro-LGBT Christians and LGBT rights activists,[22][23] as well as by several conservative religious figures.[24][25]

In November 2022, French announced that he had "changed his mind" on the legal recognition of same-sex marriage, although stating he was still morally opposed to the matter. He wrote that his "reasoning tracked my lifelong civil libertarian beliefs" and that:[26]

Millions of Americans have formed families and live their lives in deep reliance on Obergefell being good law. It would be profoundly disruptive and unjust to rip out the legal superstructure around which they've ordered their lives.[26]

Military service edit

French is a former major in the United States Army Reserve[27] and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.[8] French was deployed to Iraq in 2007 during the Iraq War, serving in Diyala Governorate as squadron judge-advocate.[28] He was awarded a Bronze Star.[27]

Potential 2016 U.S. presidential campaign edit

French briefly considered entering the 2016 U.S. presidential race, citing his strong moral objections to U.S. Republican Party presumptive nominee Donald Trump. He ultimately decided that he had neither the name recognition nor the financial support to mount a viable campaign.[29]

Attacks by the alt-right edit

In 2016, French and his wife and family were the subject of online attacks when he criticized then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and the alt-right. French was bombarded with hateful tweets, including an image of his daughter in a gas chamber.[30]

Dispute with Sohrab Ahmari edit

A dispute between French and conservative New York Post editor Sohrab Ahmari broke out in the summer of 2019 as a result of the publication of Ahmari's polemical First Things article entitled "Against David French-ism."[31] The dispute centered on their differing opinions on how conservatives should approach cultural and political debate and issues, with Ahmari arguing for a more ideologically firm approach against French's libertarian views.[32][33]

Personal life edit

French is an evangelical Christian.[12] He is married to author Nancy French.[34] French and his family live in Franklin, Tennessee.[35] They have three children, including a daughter adopted from Ethiopia.[36]

Bibliography edit

  • A Season for Justice: Defending the Rights of the Christian Church, Home, and School. Broadman & Holman. 2002. ISBN 0-8054-2491-1.[37]
  • Home and Away: A Story of Family in a Time of War. Center Street. 2011. ISBN 978-1-931722-90-2. With Nancy French.[38]
  • The Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can't Ignore. Howard Books. 2014. ISBN 978-1-5011-0513-5. With Jay Sekulow, Jordan Sekulow, and Robert Ash.[39]
  • Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. St. Martin's Press. 2020. ISBN 978-1250201973.

References edit

  1. ^ Corbett, Erin (May 31, 2016). "Who Is David French? Bill Kristol Has Suggested a Third-Party Candidate to Run against Trump". Bustle. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  2. ^ Rowland, Geoffrey (March 1, 2019). "National Review's Goldberg, Weekly Standard's Hayes to launch conservative media company". The Hill. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  3. ^ Lathan, Angele (August 31, 2023). "Lipscomb University taps conservative columnist David French as visiting professor". The Tennessean. Gannett. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  4. ^ French, David (22 July 2020). "Episode 414: Religious Power vs. Religious Liberty with David French". Holy Post Podcast (Podcast). Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  5. ^ "David French Mediation Attorney – Child Custody Mediation Attorney in Kentucky". Mediation. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Lipscomb Conversations program discusses threats to national community Oct. 4 |". www.lipscomb.edu. 30 September 2005.
  7. ^ . Alliance Defending Freedom. November 9, 2006. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d Moore, Jack (June 1, 2016). "Who Is David French, the Third-Party Conservative Who Might Be Running for President?". GQ.
  9. ^ Olasky, Marvin. "A patriot's perspective - WORLD". world.wng.org.
  10. ^ "SPLC Designates ADF as Hate Group". Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  11. ^ Morrow, Brendan (May 31, 2016). "David French: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (2019-09-12). "David French, Sohrab Ahmari, and the Battle for the Future of Conservatism". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  13. ^ "A Personal Message from FIRE President David French". November 11, 2005. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  14. ^ "A Q & A with evangelical writer David French on Christian nationalism". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  15. ^ French, David (October 18, 2019). "Farewell". National Review.
  16. ^ "David French Joins The Times as an Opinion Columnist". The New York Times Company. 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  17. ^ David French (March 22, 2017). "The Left Distorts Originalism to Attack Judge Gorsuch". National Review. Retrieved March 24, 2017. Having failed to undermine Gorsuch's nomination on substantive grounds, liberals are now using a straw-man argument instead
  18. ^ Kirchick, James (2020-09-22). "The Divisions That Are Destroying the Country". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  19. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Douglas Perry | The (2020-09-08). "Conservative intellectual David French fears secession but makes a strong case for it: 'Divided We Fall' review". oregonlive. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  20. ^ Mastrangelo, Dominick (January 3, 2023). "Conservative writer David French joining New York Times". The Hill. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  21. ^ "Hundreds of Christian leaders denounce the Nashville Statement in an open letter," Human Rights Campaign, August 31, 2017
  22. ^ Williams, Hattie (1 September 2017). "Nashville statement on sexuality prompts response from LGBT-supporting Christians". Church Times. from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  23. ^ "Evangelicals and the Nashville Statement: What is the point?". Christian Today. 31 August 2017. from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  24. ^ Beaty, Katelyn (31 August 2017). "Why even conservative evangelicals are unhappy with the anti-LGBT Nashville Statement". The Washington Post. from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  25. ^ Keating, Joshua (2020-09-25). "David French's New Book Arguing That the U.S. Will Break Apart Is Too Optimistic". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  26. ^ a b French, David (November 21, 2022). "Why I Changed My Mind About Law and Marriage, Again". The Dispatch. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  27. ^ a b "'National Review' Writer And Former Service Member On Defining Patriotism". NPR.org. May 26, 2018.
  28. ^ Stanley, Paul (September 16, 2011). "Nancy French Talks About Career as Mom, Wife and Bestselling Author". Christian Post. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  29. ^ Bennett, James (June 18, 2016). "David French came 'really close' to running for president". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  30. ^ "Harassed On Twitter: 'People Need To Know The Reality Of What It's Like Out There'". NPR. October 26, 2016.
  31. ^ "Against David French-ism | Sohrab Ahmari". First Things. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  32. ^ Ahmari, Sohrab (May 29, 2019). "Against David French-ism". First Things. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  33. ^ Coaston, Jane (2019-06-05). "David French vs. Sohrab Ahmari and the battle dividing conservatives, explained". Vox. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  34. ^ Halperin, Mark; Heilemann, John (May 31, 2016). "Kristol Eyes Conservative Lawyer David French for Independent Presidential Run". Bloomberg Politics. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  35. ^ French, David (June 8, 2021). "How Can We Escape the COVID-19 Vaccine Culture Wars?". Time. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  36. ^ Easley, Jonathan (June 5, 2016). "Who is David French?". The Hill. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  37. ^ "Tuesday, Nov. 10: National Review's David French Lecture". Iowa State University. November 10, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2016.[permanent dead link]
  38. ^ McDevitt, Caitlin (July 12, 2011). "Meet Bristol Palin's ghostwriter". Politico. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  39. ^ "Rise of ISIS". USA Today. June 21, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2016.

External links edit

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to David French (political commentator).
  • David French at National Review
  • David French at Ballotpedia

November 27, 2023
david, french, political, commentator, david, austin, french, born, january, 1969, american, political, commentator, former, attorney, argued, high, profile, religious, liberty, cases, columnist, york, times, formerly, fellow, national, review, institute, staf. David Austin French born January 24 1969 is an American political commentator and former attorney who has argued high profile religious liberty cases He is a columnist for The New York Times Formerly a fellow at the National Review Institute and a staff writer for National Review from 2015 to 2019 French currently serves as senior editor of The Dispatch 2 and occasionally a contributing writer for The Atlantic French is currently a distinguished visiting professor of public policy at Lipscomb University his alma mater 3 David FrenchFrench in 2012BornDavid Austin French 1969 01 24 January 24 1969 age 54 Opelika Alabama U S EducationLipscomb University BA Harvard University JD Political partyRepublican before 2018 Independent 2018 present SpouseNancy AndersonMilitary careerService wbr branchUnited States ArmyYears of service2007 2014RankMajorUnitJudge Advocate General s CorpsBattles warsIraq WarAwardsBronze Star Medal 1 Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 LGBT issues 2 2 Military service 2 3 Potential 2016 U S presidential campaign 2 4 Attacks by the alt right 2 5 Dispute with Sohrab Ahmari 3 Personal life 4 Bibliography 5 References 6 External linksEarly life and education editFrench was born in Opelika Alabama His parents were students at nearby Auburn University 4 French graduated summa cum laude from Lipscomb University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree 5 6 He then went on to Harvard Law School where he graduated cum laude in 1994 with a Juris Doctor degree 7 8 9 Career editFrench has served as a senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice and the Alliance Defending Freedom designated a Hate Group by the Southern Poverty Law Center 10 11 has lectured at Cornell Law School and spent much of his career working on religious rights issues 12 He served as president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education FIRE 8 French retired from FIRE in 2005 citing plans to serve in the United States Army Reserve as a judge advocate general officer 13 14 He left the legal practice in 2015 and became a staff writer for National Review from 2015 to 2019 15 16 and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute 17 French has authored several books 8 including the non fiction Divided We Fall 2020 18 19 French became a New York Times columnist in January 2023 20 LGBT issues edit In August 2017 French was one of several co authors of the Nashville Statement which affirmed that it is sinful to approve of homosexual immorality or transgenderism and that such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness 21 The statement was criticized by pro LGBT Christians and LGBT rights activists 22 23 as well as by several conservative religious figures 24 25 In November 2022 French announced that he had changed his mind on the legal recognition of same sex marriage although stating he was still morally opposed to the matter He wrote that his reasoning tracked my lifelong civil libertarian beliefs and that 26 Millions of Americans have formed families and live their lives in deep reliance on Obergefell being good law It would be profoundly disruptive and unjust to rip out the legal superstructure around which they ve ordered their lives 26 Military service edit French is a former major in the United States Army Reserve 27 and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom 8 French was deployed to Iraq in 2007 during the Iraq War serving in Diyala Governorate as squadron judge advocate 28 He was awarded a Bronze Star 27 Potential 2016 U S presidential campaign edit French briefly considered entering the 2016 U S presidential race citing his strong moral objections to U S Republican Party presumptive nominee Donald Trump He ultimately decided that he had neither the name recognition nor the financial support to mount a viable campaign 29 Attacks by the alt right edit In 2016 French and his wife and family were the subject of online attacks when he criticized then presidential candidate Donald Trump and the alt right French was bombarded with hateful tweets including an image of his daughter in a gas chamber 30 Dispute with Sohrab Ahmari edit A dispute between French and conservative New York Post editor Sohrab Ahmari broke out in the summer of 2019 as a result of the publication of Ahmari s polemical First Things article entitled Against David French ism 31 The dispute centered on their differing opinions on how conservatives should approach cultural and political debate and issues with Ahmari arguing for a more ideologically firm approach against French s libertarian views 32 33 Personal life editFrench is an evangelical Christian 12 He is married to author Nancy French 34 French and his family live in Franklin Tennessee 35 They have three children including a daughter adopted from Ethiopia 36 Bibliography editA Season for Justice Defending the Rights of the Christian Church Home and School Broadman amp Holman 2002 ISBN 0 8054 2491 1 37 Home and Away A Story of Family in a Time of War Center Street 2011 ISBN 978 1 931722 90 2 With Nancy French 38 The Rise of ISIS A Threat We Can t Ignore Howard Books 2014 ISBN 978 1 5011 0513 5 With Jay Sekulow Jordan Sekulow and Robert Ash 39 Divided We Fall America s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation St Martin s Press 2020 ISBN 978 1250201973 References edit Corbett Erin May 31 2016 Who Is David French Bill Kristol Has Suggested a Third Party Candidate to Run against Trump Bustle Retrieved 31 May 2016 Rowland Geoffrey March 1 2019 National Review s Goldberg Weekly Standard s Hayes to launch conservative media company The Hill Retrieved March 13 2019 Lathan Angele August 31 2023 Lipscomb University taps conservative columnist David French as visiting professor The Tennessean Gannett Retrieved 21 September 2023 French David 22 July 2020 Episode 414 Religious Power vs Religious Liberty with David French Holy Post Podcast Podcast Retrieved 22 July 2020 David French Mediation Attorney Child Custody Mediation Attorney in Kentucky Mediation Retrieved 1 June 2016 Lipscomb Conversations program discusses threats to national community Oct 4 www lipscomb edu 30 September 2005 ADF files lawsuit to stop ongoing attacks on religious groups at the University of Wisconsin Alliance Defending Freedom November 9 2006 Archived from the original on July 13 2019 Retrieved August 24 2019 a b c d Moore Jack June 1 2016 Who Is David French the Third Party Conservative Who Might Be Running for President GQ Olasky Marvin A patriot s perspective WORLD world wng org SPLC Designates ADF as Hate Group Retrieved 24 August 2023 Morrow Brendan May 31 2016 David French 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know Heavy Retrieved May 31 2016 a b Wallace Wells Benjamin 2019 09 12 David French Sohrab Ahmari and the Battle for the Future of Conservatism The New Yorker ISSN 0028 792X Retrieved 2019 09 12 A Personal Message from FIRE President David French November 11 2005 Retrieved June 1 2016 A Q amp A with evangelical writer David French on Christian nationalism Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved 2022 08 16 French David October 18 2019 Farewell National Review David French Joins The Times as an Opinion Columnist The New York Times Company 2023 01 03 Retrieved 2023 03 18 David French March 22 2017 The Left Distorts Originalism to Attack Judge Gorsuch National Review Retrieved March 24 2017 Having failed to undermine Gorsuch s nomination on substantive grounds liberals are now using a straw man argument instead Kirchick James 2020 09 22 The Divisions That Are Destroying the Country The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2023 03 18 Oregonian OregonLive Douglas Perry The 2020 09 08 Conservative intellectual David French fears secession but makes a strong case for it Divided We Fall review oregonlive Retrieved 2023 03 18 Mastrangelo Dominick January 3 2023 Conservative writer David French joining New York Times The Hill Retrieved January 4 2023 Hundreds of Christian leaders denounce the Nashville Statement in an open letter Human Rights Campaign August 31 2017 Williams Hattie 1 September 2017 Nashville statement on sexuality prompts response from LGBT supporting Christians Church Times Archived from the original on 2 September 2017 Retrieved 2 September 2017 Evangelicals and the Nashville Statement What is the point Christian Today 31 August 2017 Archived from the original on 1 September 2017 Retrieved 2 September 2017 Beaty Katelyn 31 August 2017 Why even conservative evangelicals are unhappy with the anti LGBT Nashville Statement The Washington Post Archived from the original on 2 September 2017 Retrieved 2 September 2017 Keating Joshua 2020 09 25 David French s New Book Arguing That the U S Will Break Apart Is Too Optimistic Slate ISSN 1091 2339 Retrieved 2023 03 18 a b French David November 21 2022 Why I Changed My Mind About Law and Marriage Again The Dispatch Retrieved 2022 11 21 a b National Review Writer And Former Service Member On Defining Patriotism NPR org May 26 2018 Stanley Paul September 16 2011 Nancy French Talks About Career as Mom Wife and Bestselling Author Christian Post Retrieved July 9 2015 Bennett James June 18 2016 David French came really close to running for president The Daily Herald Retrieved 20 June 2016 Harassed On Twitter People Need To Know The Reality Of What It s Like Out There NPR October 26 2016 Against David French ism Sohrab Ahmari First Things 29 May 2019 Retrieved 2022 08 16 Ahmari Sohrab May 29 2019 Against David French ism First Things Retrieved June 30 2019 Coaston Jane 2019 06 05 David French vs Sohrab Ahmari and the battle dividing conservatives explained Vox Retrieved 2022 08 16 Halperin Mark Heilemann John May 31 2016 Kristol Eyes Conservative Lawyer David French for Independent Presidential Run Bloomberg Politics Retrieved May 31 2016 French David June 8 2021 How Can We Escape the COVID 19 Vaccine Culture Wars Time Retrieved September 13 2022 Easley Jonathan June 5 2016 Who is David French The Hill Retrieved June 5 2016 Tuesday Nov 10 National Review s David French Lecture Iowa State University November 10 2015 Retrieved May 31 2016 permanent dead link McDevitt Caitlin July 12 2011 Meet Bristol Palin s ghostwriter Politico Retrieved May 31 2016 Rise of ISIS USA Today June 21 2013 Retrieved May 31 2016 External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to David French political commentator David French at National Review David French at Ballotpedia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title David French political commentator amp oldid 1185495585, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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