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Michael ("Mike") P. Farris (born August 27, 1951) is a United States constitutional lawyer. He is a founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and Patrick Henry College.
Personal life and education Farris graduated magna cum laude, with a degree in political science, from Western Washington University (formerly Western Washington State College). He received his Juris Doctor and was an honors graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington. There he won the Linden Cup Moot Court Competition and was the Articles Editor of the Law Review. He married in 1971 and has ten children. He and his wife Vickie began home schooling in 1982, leading him to establish the Home School Legal Defense Association in 1983. He was also ordained as a Baptist minister in 1983. Career and achievements In 1983 Farris founded the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), for which he is chairman and general counsel as of 2005. His efforts resulted in a number of court rulings and changes in law involving home schooling. He also founded Patrick Henry College, which opened its doors in 2000, specifically for home-schooled Christian students. He held the positions of president and professor of Government from 2000 to 2006. Farris resigned his position as president of HSLDA to take on these new roles. In March 2006, Farris stepped down from the position of president to become chancellor of the college. In May 2006, PHC had placed about 7% of the interns at the White House, as the result of one former intern from PHC who worked for the Republican National Committee, and then the White House. He has been appointed by the Governor of Virginia to serve on the Board of Visitors for Mount Vernon (the home of George Washington). Farris is also the author of several books on homeschooling and family as well as a few novels. Education Week named Farris one of the most significant 100 "Faces of the Century" in Education Week news magazine. Legal and political career As a lawyer, Farris's cases include over forty reported decisions as lead counsel. These decisions were given by the United States Supreme Court, five U.S. circuit courts of Appeal, seven state Supreme Courts, and five state Courts of Appeal. Farris successfully argued for the petitioner in a religious freedom case, the Supreme Court case Witters v. Washington Department of Services For the Blind in 1985-1986. He was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 1993. He was the only statewide republican nominee to be defeated that year. Many republicans blame his connections to the religious right for the defeat. Farris is the chairman of the Madison Project, a political action committee. He is also the founder of Generation Joshua, an organization for the mobilization of Christian youth to participate in politics and get out the vote. Trivia | ||||||||
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