In 1983, Farris founded the Home School Legal Defense Association, serving as chairman and general counsel.[3] Farris founded Patrick Henry College, a Christian college, in 2000.[4] 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.[5] In January 2017, Farris retired from the position of chancellor but retained the title of "chancellor emeritus."[6]
In 2009 and 2010, Farris represented the plaintiffs in Clemons, John T., Et Al. v. Dept. of Commerce, Et Al.,[10] which was dismissed on appeal to the Supreme Court.[11] Apportionment.us brought the case in attempt to apply the "One Man, One Vote" principle of Baker v. Carr to the relative size of congressional districts across state lines.[12] That would have had the effect of expanding the size of the United States House of Representatives beyond its current 435 members.[13]
Along with Mark Meckler, Farris was co-founder of the Convention of States Project,[14] founded in 2013 to encourage a convention to propose amendments to the Constitution. He served as senior fellow for constitutional studies for the project's parent organization, Citizens for Self-Governance, and as a member of CSG's legal board of reference.[1]
After Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election and refused to concede while making claims of fraud, Farris worked behind the scenes in his personal capacity on legal documents filed by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton to overturn the election results (Texas v. Pennsylvania).[15]
On October 1, 2022, Kristen Waggoner succeeded Farris as CEO and President of ADF, retaining her role as General Counsel.[16]
Faris received the 2021 Boniface Award from the Association of Classical Christian Schools, given to recognize "a public figure who has stood faithfully for Christian truth, beauty, and goodness with grace."[17]
Personal life
He married in 1971 and has 10 children and many grandchildren.[18] (see: Quiverfull)[19]
^Markus Schmidt, January 20, 2014, Richmond Times-Dispatch, The News Virginian, Effort seeks to reset course for America, Accessed January 21, 2014, "...Last year, Farris launched the Convention of States Project, sponsored by a group called Citizens for Self-Governance. In the past three months, the project has opened numerous chapters nationwide that lobby legislators. ... "
