As Convention of States celebrates ten years of grassroots activism, we’re examining the lives of ten figures crucial to the Article V movement, including today's hero: Michael Farris. Read parts one (George Mason), two (Alexander Hamilton), three (Mark Meckler), and four (Ronald Reagan) of this series here.
It was 42 degrees in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 2018, when the National Institute of Family and Life found itself at the center of the nation’s attention, the subject of intense scrutiny, represented by a certain Michael P. Farris at the Supreme Court.
The death of Roe lingered four years in the future — the Court’s stance on pro-life issues was far from settled. This particular case, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, born out of California, centered around whether the state, by law, could force pro-life pregnancy centers to “inform patients about available assistance for affordable contraception, abortion, and prenatal care, including how to obtain that assistance.” Naturally, such a message, particularly the part about abortion, was abhorrent and objectionable to pro-life groups; Dr. Farris contended that it constituted “compelled speech.” The pregnancy centers filed suit.
“California took aim at pro-life pregnancy centers by compelling licensed centers to point the way to an abortion and imposing onerous advertising rules on unlicensed centers that do not provide ultrasounds or any other medical services,” the attorney pointed out in his opening remarks. “The state then provided exemptions for all other medical providers who serve pregnant women. This law — law targets a particular topic of discussion, employs compelled speech, and is directed at disfavored speakers with disfavored viewpoints. So for….”
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg interrupted with a question.
“What,” she countered, “would be the situation, taking the other side, if the state law were that all women's health providers that perform abortions would have to tell the patients: If you would like to carry the pregnancy to term, you will have access to a clinic that will assist them, provide adoption facilities they might contact, or provide instruction on how to care for infants? Suppose that were the statute. Would that be unconstitutional?”
“No, Your Honor,” Farris responded. Case in point, he cited the Court’s previous stance on a “very similar case” from Pennsylvania. When she fired back, he responded with another case, this one out of New York. An intense round of questioning ensued; Dr. Farris countered each inquiry ably, highlighting his consummate mastery of the law, his case, and legal history in the United States.
Indeed, as anyone who knows him would tell you, Farris’s mind is a veritable repository of wisdom, honed over decades of wide-ranging public service. While for many, arguing successfully before the Supreme Court — a feat exemplified by the above case, decided 5-4 in Farris’s favor — would mark the pinnacle of their careers, for Farris, it merely registers as one of many notable achievements.
SEE ALSO: Washington Post blasts COS Founder Michael Farris in sensationalized hit piece
Michael Farris, 72, is often compared to the Founding Fathers, and for good reason. The renowned constitutional lawyer has dedicated his entire career to the tireless protection of liberty and American values, as evidenced by his over 40 years of engagement, advocacy, and appellate litigation. His numerous exploits all but ensure his merited presence in future American history books.
In 1983, Farris founded the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), a pivotal organization credited with “saving” the American homeschool movement. As of 1917, when Mississippi became the final state to implement a truancy law, compulsory attendance in public schools became mandatory nationwide; by 1992, less than a decade after HSLDA’s inception, every state had passed legislation legalizing homeschooling.
“Mike Farris’ contribution to religious freedom and parental rights during his leadership of HSLDA cannot be overstated,” acknowledged analyst Bruce Hausknech. “At a time when state governments were trying to impose curriculum and other requirements as to what home-schooling parents could teach their children, Farris and HSLDA stood up and almost single-handedly preserved the constitutional rights of parents to teach their children as they saw fit. We have Farris to thank for a generation of successful, freedom-loving and God-fearing homeschooled students currently making their marks across the country, from government to business to education, who also are raising up the next generation of exceptional Americans.”
“I was a homeschool dad first,” Farris explained, “and as a lawyer experienced in first amendment litigation, the homeschooling community started calling me, asking me for help. And I figured out that there was a real need to organize the movement into an opportunity to protect all of our rights.”
Again, Farris’s momentous contributions in this field alone would have been enough to etch his name into the pages of history. But his career was just beginning.
In 2000, after having founded HSLDA, resuscitated the homeschool movement, argued his first case at the United States Supreme Court, and ran for lieutenant governor of Virginia, Mr. Farris was prepared to launch his next major, history-changing endeavor. Defeated in the Old Dominion’s 1993 gubernatorial election, Farris rebounded with surprising vigor. The Washington Post, which had previously dismissed him as a “far-right candidate,” detailed his post-election comeback:
“Mike P. Farris isn't going away,” the paper reported in 1994.
“In the nine months since the national spotlight followed his controversial bid for lieutenant governor, Farris has been a whirlwind of activity – influencing state policy in Richmond, lobbying Congress, campaigning for conservative takeovers of Republican committees and pelting moderate party figures like comet fragments slamming into Jupiter."
“Instead of being discouraged by defeat, Farris seems energized. Instead of being shunned, he now is welcomed as a critical player in Virginia GOP politics and leader of its conservative Christian wing.”
“I plan to be involved, whether I'm running for things or not, for the rest of my life,” he said. Then, in a line that is sure to delight Farris fans today, the Post added, “Few statements are so heartening to conservatives or depressing to liberals and moderates.”
Time would reveal just how prescient those words were.
In 2000, Farris founded Patrick Henry College (PHC), a prestigious Christian university dedicated to promoting Christian and conservative professionalism. According to the school, Dr. Farris served as the school’s president for six years before transitioning into the role of Chancellor, which he held for over a decade. In 2017, when he retired from the school, the beloved teacher maintained the title of Chancellor Emeritus.
Also during that period, Farris undertook yet another historic endeavor: co-founding Convention of States Action (COSA) alongside former Tea Party Patriots leader Mark Meckler. Dedicated to convening the first-ever Article V amendments convention, the organization was born out of Farris’s deep and abiding love for the Constitution. When the much-heralded Tea Party Patriot midterm wave of 2010 ultimately fell short of enacting permanent change in Washington, the constitutional lawyer explained to Meckler that the structure of government in Washington was fundamentally broken and necessitated crucial constitutional upkeep. "I believe the structure the Founding Fathers gave us is absolutely essential to our freedom,” he said. “That structure requires a real set of checks and balances." Article V, he argued, provided a viable avenue for this essential maintenance. Today, ten years later, Farris serves as senior advisor to the organization, which now encompasses over five million supporters nationwide — another testimony to the incalculable impact of this extraordinary man.
SEE ALSO: Article V master class with Michael Farris
In 2017, following his departure from PHC, Farris embarked upon a new, no less impactful chapter of his life, serving as president and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), where he advocated for religious liberty until 2022. Now, alongside maintaining a rigorous travel itinerary for COS, he also holds the position of general counsel for the National Religious Broadcasters.
All of this, of course, is more than most men could ever hope to attain in one life. And yet, somehow, between arguing before federal courts, running for office, founding HSLDA, PHC, and COS, and advancing American values as the president of ADF, this modern American legend also found time to invest into the most important people in his life: his family. With ten kids and approximately three times as many grandkids, Farris and his beloved wife, Vickie, have raised a miniature brigade of freedom fighters of their own.
“The Lord has allowed us to walk on very interesting paths, but our greatest joy is to see our children and grandchildren walking in the truth,” he said of his wife and their marriage. “God gave me a marvelous gift beyond compare when Vickie walked into my life in January of 1970.”
While praising her for providing their kids with an “excellent education,” he added: “But of far more value than their academic training was the spiritual vitality they all saw in their mother every day in every circumstance. Her faith burns bright in her children.”
Indeed, this passion for his kids, grandkids, and the next generation seems to fuel everything he does for the country. From fighting for the unborn, defending parental rights, championing the Founders' Article V solution to government overreach, and educating the next generation of world-changers, Michael Farris is a true renaissance man whose hands are in almost every area of American political life. While his role in American history is, no doubt, different from that of the Founding Fathers, we can only imagine that they would be impressed — impressed at this man whose life consistently embodied Benjamin Franklin’s injunction that the American people “keep” their Republic.
“Hide not your Talents, they for Use were made,” Benjamin Franklin also said. For over 40 years, it would seem Mr. Farris has taken that advice to heart. And America, thank God, is better off for it.
