David French

David French
French in 2012
Born
David Austin French

(1969-01-24) January 24, 1969 (age 57)
Opelika, Alabama, U.S.
EducationLipscomb University (BA)
Harvard University (JD)
Political party
Republican (before 2018)
Independent (2018–present)
SpouseNancy Anderson
Military career
Branch
United States Army
Service years
2007–2014
Rank
Major
UnitJudge Advocate General's Corps
Conflicts
Iraq War
AwardsBronze Star Medal

David Austin French (born January 24, 1969) is an American political commentator and former attorney. He is a columnist for The New York Times and a visiting professor of public policy at Lipscomb University. He was formerly senior editor of The Dispatch, a fellow at the National Review Institute, and a staff writer for National Review.

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 his Juris Doctor (J.D.), cum laude.

Career

French has spent much of his career working on religious rights issues. He served as a senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and the Alliance Defending Freedom and 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. Before leaving the legal practice in 2015, he also lectured at Cornell Law School.[citation needed]

From 2015 to 2019, he was a staff writer for National Review and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute. He is a former senior editor of The Dispatch and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. In December 2019, French joined The Dispatch's biweekly legal podcast, Advisory Opinions, as a permanent guest contributor alongside host Sarah Isgur. In January 2023, he became a New York Times columnist.

French has authored several books, including the non-fiction Divided We Fall (2020). He is a distinguished visiting professor of public policy at Lipscomb University, his alma mater.

LGBTQ issues

French was described as anti-LGBTQ by GLAAD when his New York Times column began, connecting his hiring to a larger pattern of anti-trans coverage from the New York Times and Pamela Paul.

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 it. 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.

David French has been a prominent critic of transgender rights, drawing on his background with the Alliance Defending Freedom, an organization that has been labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-LGBT hate group. In a 2022 article for his column in The Dispatch, French stated that he doesn't believe that "trans men are 'men' or that trans women are 'women'" and that he refuses to use individuals' preferred pronouns, describing their use as "a form of assent to a system of believe to which I don't subscribe."

In earlier writings for National Review, he described a young transgender woman as a "man" who is "on the verge of mutilating himself" and wrote critically of what he called "transgender entitlement."

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 Trump in an SS uniform about to execute French's adopted Black 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.

Pluralism

French believes that pluralism and classical liberalism are essential to a nation's success. He is listed on the New Pluralism website as a field partner, and specifically as a Founding Field Builder.

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.

Until early 2024, David French was a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a staunchly conservative denomination that upholds the traditional definition of marriage and the inerrancy of Scripture. Despite formerly sharing these theological foundations, French faced increasing friction with his congregation and the denomination at large because of his positions on political and legal issues, including gay marriage and opposition to Christian nationalism. As a result, French and his family decided to leave their Nashville congregation.

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Corbett, Erin (May 31, 2016). "Who Is David French? Bill Kristol Has Suggested a Third-Party Candidate to Run against Trump". Bustle. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  2. ↑ French, David (July 22, 2020). "Episode 414: Religious Power vs. Religious Liberty with David French". Holy Post Podcast (Podcast). Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Life as an open book". Lipscomb University.
  4. ↑ "David French Mediation Attorney – Child Custody Mediation Attorney in Kentucky". Mediation. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Lipscomb Conversations program discusses threats to national community Oct. 4 |". www.lipscomb.edu. September 30, 2005.
  6. ↑ "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.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Moore, Jack (June 1, 2016). "Who Is David French, the Third-Party Conservative Who Might Be Running for President?". GQ.
  8. ↑ Olasky, Marvin. "A patriot's perspective - WORLD". world.wng.org.
  9. ↑ Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (September 12, 2019). "David French, Sohrab Ahmari, and the Battle for the Future of Conservatism". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  10. ↑ Morrow, Brendan (May 31, 2016). "David French: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  11. ↑ "A Personal Message from FIRE President David French". November 11, 2005. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  12. ↑ "A Q & A with evangelical writer David French on Christian nationalism". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  13. ↑ French, David (October 18, 2019). "Farewell". National Review.
  14. ↑ "David French Joins The Times as an Opinion Columnist". The New York Times Company. January 3, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  15. ↑ 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
  16. 1 2 Mastrangelo, Dominick (January 3, 2023). "Conservative writer David French joining New York Times". The Hill. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Advisory Opinions Archives". The Dispatch. February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  18. ↑ Kirchick, James (September 22, 2020). "The Divisions That Are Destroying the Country". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  19. ↑ Perry, Douglas (September 8, 2020). "Conservative intellectual David French fears secession but makes a strong case for it: 'Divided We Fall' review". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  20. ↑ Lathan, Angele (August 31, 2023). "Lipscomb University taps conservative columnist David French as visiting professor". The Tennessean. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  21. ↑ GLAAD (January 4, 2023). "GLAAD RESPONDS TO NEW YORK TIMES HIRING ANTI-LGBTQ ATTORNEY AS OPINION COLUMNIST | GLAAD". GLAAD. Archived from the original on February 3, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Hundreds of Christian leaders denounce the Nashville Statement in an open letter". Human Rights Campaign. August 31, 2017.
  23. ↑ Williams, Hattie (September 1, 2017). "Nashville statement on sexuality prompts response from LGBT-supporting Christians". Church Times. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Evangelicals and the Nashville Statement: What is the point?". Christian Today. August 31, 2017. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  25. ↑ Beaty, Katelyn (August 31, 2017). "Why even conservative evangelicals are unhappy with the anti-LGBT Nashville Statement". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  26. ↑ Keating, Joshua (September 25, 2020). "David French's New Book Arguing That the U.S. Will Break Apart Is Too Optimistic". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  27. 1 2 French, David (November 21, 2022). "Why I Changed My Mind About Law and Marriage, Again". The Dispatch. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Alliance Defending Freedom". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  29. ↑ Fitzgerald, Erin (July 1, 2016). "National Review's David French: Lifting The Ban On Transgender Military Service Will Result In "Thought Control"". Media Matters for America. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  30. ↑ French, David (September 3, 2015). "Transgender Entitlement: The New Orthodoxy on Campus". National Review. Archived from the original on September 12, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  31. ↑ French, David (May 12, 2016). "A Sad Video Highlights the Contradictions and Tragedy of the Transgender Moment". National Review. Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  32. 1 2 "'National Review' Writer And Former Service Member On Defining Patriotism". NPR. May 26, 2018.
  33. ↑ Stanley, Paul (September 16, 2011). "Nancy French Talks About Career as Mom, Wife and Bestselling Author". Christian Post. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  34. ↑ Bennett, James (June 18, 2016). "David French came 'really close' to running for president". The Daily Herald. Archived from the original on June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Harassed On Twitter: 'People Need To Know The Reality Of What It's Like Out There'". NPR. October 26, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Against David French-ism | Sohrab Ahmari". First Things. May 29, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  37. ↑ Ahmari, Sohrab (May 29, 2019). "Against David French-ism". First Things. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  38. ↑ Coaston, Jane (June 5, 2019). "David French vs. Sohrab Ahmari and the battle dividing conservatives, explained". Vox. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  39. ↑ "Pluralism Lets Us Live Together with Profound Differences," 8 July 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  40. ↑ New Pluralists, "Field Partners." Scroll through alphabetical drop-down list of partners. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  41. ↑ Halperin, Mark; Heilemann, John (May 31, 2016). "Kristol Eyes Conservative Lawyer David French for Independent Presidential Run". Bloomberg Politics. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  42. ↑ French, David (June 8, 2021). "How Can We Escape the COVID-19 Vaccine Culture Wars?". Time. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  43. ↑ Easley, Jonathan (June 5, 2016). "Who is David French?". The Hill. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  44. ↑ French, David (June 9, 2024). "The Day My Old Church Canceled Me Was a Very Sad Day". The New York Times. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  45. ↑ "Tuesday, Nov. 10: National Review's David French Lecture". Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University. November 10, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2016.[permanent dead link]
  46. ↑ McDevitt, Caitlin (July 12, 2011). "Meet Bristol Palin's ghostwriter". Politico. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  47. ↑ "Rise of ISIS". USA Today. June 21, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2016.