# Michael Farris A Christian-conservative attorney whose career has built three of the most consequential homeschool-and-religious-liberty institutions in the United States: the **Home School Legal Defense Association** ([[Home School Legal Defense Association]], 1983), [[Patrick Henry College]] (2000), and a leadership tenure at [[Alliance Defending Freedom]] ([[Alliance Defending Freedom]], 2017–2022). Farris is also the principal architect of the contemporary **Convention of States** movement — the proposed Article V state-led constitutional convention to amend the Constitution toward states-rights and limited-federal-power priorities. His legal-and-institutional career has been one of the most strategically-leveraged in the modern religious right. Farris's strategic significance is **multi-decadal compounding**. The HSLDA (founded 1983) was the legal-defense apparatus that allowed the U.S. homeschool movement to navigate state-level legal challenges through the 1980s–1990s and become a substantial institutional movement (current homeschool population: ~3-5 million students). [[Patrick Henry College]] (2000) was the upper-credentialing pipeline for that homeschool generation, designed for explicit conservative-movement and federal-government careers. The 2017–2022 ADF presidency placed Farris at the head of the largest Christian-conservative litigation organization in the United States during a period of substantial doctrinal change in religion-clause jurisprudence. The Convention of States project, advocacy for which Farris has continued through his post-ADF role, would — if successful — produce the largest constitutional restructuring since the [[New Deal]]. For the Right Wing KB, Farris is the **homeschool-and-religious-liberty institutional-builder** in the [[Christian Nationalism Ecosystem]]. His career arcs across the Educational Pipeline (HSLDA + PHC) and the Legal-Litigation Infrastructure (ADF) layers; the cross-layer movement is itself analytically interesting, showing how movement-conservative careers can compound across institutional categories. The Convention of States project, if it advances, would be the most consequential contribution of Farris's career, but the homeschool and education-pipeline work has already had transformative effects regardless of whether the convention succeeds. ## Biography **Michael P. Farris** was born in **1951** and raised in Washington state. He earned his B.A. from **Western Washington University** and his J.D. from **Gonzaga University School of Law** (Spokane, Washington). He began his legal career in Washington state constitutional-law practice. In the early 1980s, Farris served as **general counsel for [[Concerned Women for America]]** (CWA, founded by Beverly LaHaye in 1979) — a position that connected him to the Religious Right organizational infrastructure and provided experience in federal advocacy, lobbying, and litigation strategy. ## HSLDA (1983) Farris co-founded the [[Home School Legal Defense Association]] with **J. Michael Smith** in **1983** — the membership-based prepaid legal-defense organization that became the principal institutional vehicle of the American homeschool movement. Under Farris's leadership, HSLDA mounted the state-by-state legislative campaign that legalized homeschooling in all 50 states by **1993** and subsequently worked to reduce regulatory requirements state by state. The organization grew to ~80,000 member families and became one of the most effective single-issue lobbying organizations in American politics. See [[Home School Legal Defense Association]] for full organizational treatment. ## 1993 Virginia Lieutenant Governor Candidacy Farris ran for **Lieutenant Governor of Virginia** in **1993** on the Republican ticket — winning the GOP nomination but losing the general election to Democrat Don Beyer by approximately **54–46%**. The campaign was Farris's only run for elected office; the loss redirected his career toward institution-building rather than electoral politics. ## Patrick Henry College (2000) Farris founded [[Patrick Henry College]] in **2000** specifically to credential homeschooled students for conservative-movement careers in government, law, journalism, and policy. Located in Purcellville, Virginia (~50 miles from Washington, D.C.), PHC was designed as a boutique pipeline institution. During the [[George W. Bush]] administration, PHC placed a disproportionate number of White House interns relative to its tiny enrollment (~300–450 students). Farris served as founding chancellor until **2017**. See [[Patrick Henry College]] for full institutional treatment. ## Alliance Defending Freedom (2017–2022) Farris became **president and CEO of [[Alliance Defending Freedom]]** in **2017** — the largest Christian-conservative litigation organization in the United States (~$100M annual revenue). His tenure coincided with a period of substantial doctrinal change in religion-clause jurisprudence, including *Masterpiece Cakeshop* (2018), *American Legion v. American Humanist Association* (2019), *[[Espinoza v. Montana]]* (2020), *Our Lady of Guadalupe* (2020), *Fulton v. City of Philadelphia* (2021), and *303 Creative v. Elenis* (2023). Farris stepped down as president in **2022**; **[[Kristen Waggoner]]** succeeded him as president, CEO, and general counsel. ## Convention of States Action (2013–) Farris co-founded [[Convention of States Action]] with **[[Mark Meckler]]** in **2013** — the organization advocating for an Article V state-led constitutional convention to propose amendments limiting federal power, imposing fiscal restraints, and establishing congressional term limits. As of September 2026, **20 state legislatures** have passed COS resolutions (of the 34 required to convene a convention), Kansas having become the twentieth in January 2026. Farris serves as **senior chairman** and principal legal-constitutional voice of the project. See [[Convention of States Action]] for full treatment. ## Books and Constitutional Proposals Farris is the author of multiple books including *Constitutional Literacy: A Core Curriculum for a Multicultural Nation* and works on parental rights and homeschool law. He personally drafted the proposed **Parental Rights Amendment** to the U.S. Constitution — a constitutional amendment establishing parental rights as fundamental rights subject to strict-scrutiny review — which has been introduced in Congress multiple times without advancing to floor votes. ## KB Significance Farris's career is the **most strategically-compounding institutional biography** in the [[Christian Nationalism Ecosystem]]. The HSLDA → Patrick Henry College → Alliance Defending Freedom → Convention of States chain spans four decades and crosses the Educational Pipeline, Legal-Litigation Infrastructure, and Constitutional-Restructuring layers of the ecosystem. Each institution Farris built or led has compounded the reach of the next, creating a multi-generational institutional infrastructure with influence disproportionate to any single organization's size. ## See Also - [[Home School Legal Defense Association]] - [[Patrick Henry College]] - [[Alliance Defending Freedom]] - [[Christian Nationalism Ecosystem]] - [[Religious Liberty]]