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David Austin French (born January 24, 1969) is an American political commentator and former attorney. He was formerly a fellow at the National Review Institute and a staff writer for National Review from 2015 to 2019. French is a former senior editor of The Dispatch, a visiting professor of public policy at Lipscomb University, and a columnist for The New York Times.
David French | |
|---|---|
 French in 2012 | |
| Born | David Austin French January 24, 1969 Opelika, Alabama, U.S. |
| Education | Lipscomb University (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Political party | Republican (before 2018) Independent (2018–present) |
| Spouse | Nancy Anderson |
| Military career | |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 2007–2014 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Judge Advocate General's Corps |
| Battles / wars | Iraq War |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal[1] |
French was born on January 24, 1969, in Opelika, Alabama. His parents were students at nearby Auburn University.[2] He grew up in Georgetown, Kentucky.[3]
French graduated from Lipscomb University in 1991 with a B.A., summa cum laude.[4][5] He then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1994 with a Juris Doctor, cum laude.[6][7][8]
French has served as a senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice and the Alliance Defending Freedom,[9] has lectured at Cornell Law School, and spent much of his career working on religious rights issues.[10] He served as president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), now known as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).[7] French retired from FIRE in 2005, citing plans to serve in the United States Army Reserve as a judge-advocate general officer.[11][12] He left the legal practice in 2015, and became a staff writer for National Review from 2015 to 2019,[13][14] and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.[15]
French has authored several books,[7] including the non-fiction Divided We Fall (2020).[16][17]
French is a former senior editor of The Dispatch,[18] and occasionally a contributing writer for The Atlantic. French is a distinguished visiting professor of public policy at Lipscomb University, his alma mater.[19]
French became a New York Times columnist in January 2023.[18]
LGBTQ issues
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."[20] The statement was criticized by pro-LGBTQ Christians and LGBTQ rights activists,[21][22] as well as by several conservative religious figures.[23][24]
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:[25]
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.[25]
Military service
French is a former major in the United States Army Reserve[26] and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.[7] French was deployed to Iraq in 2007 during the Iraq War, serving in Diyala Governorate as squadron judge-advocate.[27] He was awarded a Bronze Star.[26]
Potential 2016 U.S. presidential campaign
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.[28]
Attacks by the alt-right
In 2016 French, his wife, and his 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.[29]
Dispute with Sohrab Ahmari
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."[30] 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 views.[31][32]
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French is married to author Nancy French.[33] He and his family live in Franklin, Tennessee.[34] They have three children, including a daughter adopted from Ethiopia.[35]
French was until 2024 a member of the Presbyterian Church in America. Due to conflicts with his church and its members over political issues, and after personal attacks against him and his family, they switched to another church in Nashville.[36]
- 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.
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