David French

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''.

Early life and education

French was born on January 24, 1969, in Opelika, Alabama. His parents were students at nearby Auburn University. He grew up in Georgetown, Kentucky.

French graduated from Lipscomb University in 1991 with a B.A., ''summa cum laude''. He then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1994 with a Juris Doctor, ''cum laude''.

Career

French has served as a senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice and the Alliance Defending Freedom, has lectured at Cornell Law School, and spent much of his career working on religious rights issues. He served as president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), now known as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). French retired from FIRE in 2005, citing plans to serve in the United States Army Reserve as a judge-advocate general officer. He left the legal practice in 2015, and became a staff writer for ''National Review'' from 2015 to 2019, and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.

French has authored several books, including the non-fiction ''Divided We Fall'' (2020).

French is a former senior editor of ''The Dispatch'', and occasionally a contributing writer for ''The Atlantic''. French is a distinguished visiting professor of public policy at Lipscomb University, his alma mater.

French became a ''New York Times'' columnist in January 2023.

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." The statement was criticized by pro-LGBTQ Christians and LGBTQ rights activists, as well as by several conservative religious figures.

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:

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.

Military service

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

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.

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.

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." 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.

Personal life

French is married to author Nancy French. He and his family live in Franklin, Tennessee. They have three children, including a daughter adopted from Ethiopia.

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.

Bibliography

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* With Nancy French.
* With Jay Sekulow, Jordan Sekulow, and Robert Ash.
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References

External links

David French at ''National Review''David French at Ballotpedia

{{DEFAULTSORT:French, David
1969 births
Living people
20th-century Presbyterians
20th-century American lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century Presbyterians
Alliance Defending Freedom people
American columnists
American magazine editors
American political commentators
American male non-fiction writers
American military lawyers
Cornell Law School faculty
Harvard Law School alumni
Lipscomb University alumni
National Review people
People from Columbia, Tennessee
People from Georgetown, Kentucky
Presbyterians from Kentucky
Presbyterians from Tennessee
United States Army officers
United States Army personnel of the Iraq War
United States Army reservists
Tennessee independents
Tennessee Republicans
United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps