Michael Farris

Michael P. Farris is Chancellor Emeritus of Patrick Henry College and Chairman and General Counsel of the Home School Legal Defense Association. Since founding HSLDA in 1983, Dr. Farris has used his extensive experience in both politics and appellate litigation to defend parental rights and help grow the organization to over 83,000 member families with a staff of 125. As a constitutional attorney, Dr. Farris has argued before the United States Supreme Court, seven U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, and ten state supreme courts. Since founding HSLDA in 1983, Dr. Farris has used his extensive experience in both politics and appellate litigation to defend parental rights and help grow the organization to over 83,000 member families with a staff of 125. As a constitutional attorney, Dr. Farris has argued before the United States Supreme Court, seven U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, and ten state supreme courts. In 2000, Dr. Farris became the founding president of another unique educational venture: Patrick Henry College. PHC is a four-year Christian college with the mission of training students through a classical liberal arts curriculum and apprenticeship methodology to impact the world “for Christ and for Liberty.” PHC provides academically excellent, baccalaureate-level higher education from a biblical worldview. After serving as president of PHC for six academic years, Dr. Farris transitioned into the role of Chancellor. He continues to teach Constitutional Law and coach the PHC Moot Court team. His teams won the national ACMA championships in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016, and defeated Oxford University before two of the highest judges in Britain and in a repeat match before the Supreme Court of Virginia. Dr. Farris is an honors graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law (Juris Doctor, 1976), where he was the Articles Editor of the law review and the winner of the Linden Cup Moot Court competition. In 2012, he earned an LL.M. with Merit in Public International Law from the University of London. In recognition of his work in home education, Education Week has named Dr. Farris one of the “Top 100 Faces in Education of the 20th Century.” Heritage Foundation awarded him its Salvatori Award for American Citizenship in 2002. He is the author and narrator of a popular video series entitled “Constitutional Literacy.” His daily radio program, Home School Heartbeat, airs on several hundred stations nationwide. Dr. Farris was ordained in 1983 and was the founding pastor for Blue Ridge Bible Church. He is the Senior Fellow for Constitutional Studies and the head of the Convention of States Project. The purpose of this project is to stop the overreach of federal power Dr. Farris and his wife, Vickie, have homeschooled their family since 1982. They have ten children and nineteen grandchildren. They live in Purcellville, Virginia.