David French (political commentator)
French was born in Opelika, Alabama. His parents were students at nearby Auburn University. French graduated "summa cum laude" from Lipscomb University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then went on to Harvard Law School where he graduated "cum laude" in 1994 with a Juris Doctor degree. 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). French retired from FIRE in 2005, citing plans to serve in the United States Army Reserve as a judge advocate general officer. A staff writer for "National Review" from 2015 to 2019, and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute, French has authored several books. In August 2017, French was one of several co-authors of the so-called 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, which was described as a "vicious, anti-LGBTQ manifesto" by Human Rights Campaign, was quickly denounced by hundreds of Christian leaders. In October 2019, he left "National Review" to work at "The Dispatch", a conservative news site. 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. 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. 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. A dispute between French and "New York Post" editor Sohrab Ahmari broke out over summer 2019 as a result of the publication of Ahmari's polemic "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 an ideologically hardline approach against French's generally libertarian notions. French is an evangelical Christian. He is married to author Nancy French. French and his family have lived in Columbia, Tennessee, since 2006. They have three children, including a daughter adopted from Ethiopia.
Career
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."