Andrew Schlafly

{{Infobox person

| name = Andrew Schlafly

| image = AndrewSchlafly.jpg

| caption = Schlafly in 2007

| birth_name = Andrew Layton Schlafly

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|04|27}}

| birth_place = Alton, Illinois, U.S.

| education = Princeton University (BS)
Harvard University (JD)

| mother = Phyllis Schlafly

| party = Republican

| spouse = {{marriage|Catherine Kosarek|1984}}

| children = 2

}}

Andrew Layton Schlafly ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|l|æ|f|l|i}}; born April 27, 1961) is an American lawyer and Christian conservative activist.{{cite web|title=Morris County resident, son of famous activist, runs 'Conservapedia' website |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/morris_county_resident_son_of.html|work=The Star-Ledger|access-date=June 4, 2013|date=January 6, 2010|quote=unsuccessfully ran in a Republican congressional primary in 1992 and also volunteered for [gubernatorial candidate] Steve Lonegan in 2009.}} He is the founder and owner of the wiki encyclopedia project Conservapedia. He is the son of the conservative activist and lawyer Phyllis Schlafly.{{cite web|url=http://www.eagleforum.org/about/bio.html |title=Phyllis Schlafly Bio |publisher=Eagleforum.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006095626/http://www.eagleforumu.org/EAGLEFORUMU/INSTRUCTOR/VIEW.cfm?int_instructor_id=7&INT_COURSE_ID=23&bln_registered=1|archive-date=October 6, 2014 |access-date=March 24, 2013 }}

Schlafly was the lead counsel for the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons' efforts to bring the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act before the United States Supreme Court.

Early life and education

Schlafly is one of six children.{{cite book|last=Critchlow|first=Donald T.|title=Phyllis Schlafly and grassroots conservatism: a woman's crusade|url=https://archive.org/details/phyllis_cri_2005_00_7649|url-access=registration|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton, New Jersey|year=2005|isbn=978-0-691-07002-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/phyllis_cri_2005_00_7649/page/32 32]–33}} His great-great-grandfather August Schlafly was a Swiss immigrant to the United States. His father Fred Schlafly was an attorney, and his mother Phyllis (née Stewart) spearheaded the movement opposing the Equal Rights Amendment and was founder of the Eagle Forum.

Born and raised in Alton, Illinois,{{cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.com/license/55841358|title=Schlafly & Her Children|author=Mauney, Michael|work=The LIFE Images Collection|year=1975|publisher=Getty Images|access-date=February 9, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Schlafly graduated from Saint Louis Priory School and later received a B.S.E. in electrical engineering and certificate in engineering physics from Princeton University in 1981.{{cite web|url=http://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/hallowed-be-thy-name-a-member-of-the-schlafly-clan-figures-to-do-the-lords-work-by-cleansing-the-bible-of-its-liberal-bias/Content?oid=2482665|title=Hallowed Be Thy Name: A member of the Schlafly clan figures to do the Lord's work by cleansing the Bible of its "liberal bias" |first=Keegan|last=Hamilton|work=Riverfront Times|date=November 4, 2009|access-date=February 6, 2017}}{{cite web|last=Bernstein|first=Mark F.|title=A Moment With ... Andrew Schlafly '81, on 'Conservapedia'|url=http://paw.princeton.edu/issues/2010/02/24/pages/2605/|work=Princeton Alumni Weekly|access-date=June 4, 2013|date=February 24, 2010}}

Career

=Engineering=

After graduating from Princeton, Schlafly briefly worked as a device physicist for Intel in Santa Clara, California until 1983, when he became a microelectronics engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.{{cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=D.J. |last2=Becker |first2=N.J. |last3=Schlafly |first3=A.L. |last4=Skupnjak |first4=J.A. |last5=Dham |first5=V.K. |title=Control logic and cell design for a 4K NVRAM |journal=IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits |date=October 1983 |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=525–532 |doi=10.1109/JSSC.1983.1051988|bibcode=1983IJSSC..18..525L |s2cid=41608960 }} Schlafly later worked for Bell Labs before enrolling at Harvard Law School.

=Legal=

File:March for Life 2011 03 (cropped).jpg]]

Schlafly graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991 with a J.D. in the class that included future U.S. president Barack Obama. From 1989 to 1991, Schlafly was an editor of the Harvard Law Review."Harvard Law Review Board of Editors, Volume 104, 1990-1991." From search of the [http://via.lib.harvard.edu Harvard Visual Information Access system] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822002905/http://via.lib.harvard.edu/ |date=August 22, 2019 }}, Record Identifier: olvwork365353."Harvard Law Review Board of Editors, Volume 103, 1989-1990." From search of the [http://via.lib.harvard.edu Harvard Visual Information Access system] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822002905/http://via.lib.harvard.edu/ |date=August 22, 2019 }}, Record Identifier: olvwork390852

After law school, Schlafly served as an adjunct professor at Seton Hall Law School. In 1992, Schlafly ran as a Republican for the United States House of Representatives seat of Virginia's 11th congressional district; Schlafly came in last place in a field of five candidates in the primary.{{cite news|title=THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Primaries; Democrat Loses Arkansas Runoff |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/10/us/the-1992-campaign-primaries-democrat-loses-arkansas-runoff.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 19, 2010|date=June 10, 1992}}

Schlafly was{{when|date=December 2019}}{{how|see talk|date=December 2019}} an associate for the Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz law firm in New York City before moving to private practice. Additionally, he is General Counsel at the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and led its unsuccessful Supreme Court challenge to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.{{cite web|title=AAPS General Counsel Andrew Schlafly Discusses ObamaCare Lawsuit |url=http://www.aapsonline.org/newsoftheday/001011|publisher=Association of American Physicians and Surgeons|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=June 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604232426/http://www.aapsonline.org/newsoftheday/001011|archive-date=June 4, 2010|url-status=dead}}{{cite press release|title=ObamaCare: Giant Meteor Scheduled to Strike in 2014|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/obamacare-giant-meteor-scheduled-to-strike-in-2014-95439854.html|date=June 2, 2010}} In 2010, Schlafly wrote an article for the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons about the economic effects of the legislation.{{cite journal|last=Schlafly|first=Andrew L.|title=ObamaCare: Not What the Doctor Ordered|url=http://www.jpands.org/vol15no2/schlafly.pdf|journal=Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons|volume=15|issue=2|date=Summer 2010|pages=58–59}}

In 2010, Schlafly took the role of lead counsel for a group seeking to recall US Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey. The group, associated with the Tea Party movement, argued that the US Constitution permits a recall election for federal offices without explicitly so providing.{{cite news|last=Burton|first=Cynthia|title=N.J. Supreme Court hears tea party's push to recall Menendez|url=http://articles.philly.com/2010-05-26/news/24960567_1_menendez-tea-party-group-constitutional-convention|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120911103948/http://articles.philly.com/2010-05-26/news/24960567_1_menendez-tea-party-group-constitutional-convention|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 11, 2012|access-date=June 4, 2010|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=May 28, 2010}} On November 18, 2010, the New Jersey Supreme Court rejected Schlafy's arguments, finding that the New Jersey provision violated the U.S. Constitution.Isenstadt, Alex (November 18, 2010), [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45347.html "Court kills Robert Menendez recall push"], Politico. Later that year, Schlafly represented the group RecallND in RecallND v. Jaeger before the North Dakota Supreme Court in another effort to recall Democratic Senator Kent Conrad.{{cite news|last=Beitsch|first=Rebecca|title=Supreme Court hears arguments in recall of Conrad|url=http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_c7031eda-dc9c-11df-93c0-001cc4c002e0.html|access-date=October 31, 2010|newspaper=Bismarck Tribune|date=October 20, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101024111014/http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_c7031eda-dc9c-11df-93c0-001cc4c002e0.html| archive-date= October 24, 2010 | url-status= live}}

=Conservapedia=

Schlafly created the wiki-based Conservapedia in November 2006 to counter what he perceived as a liberal bias present in Wikipedia.{{cite news|last=Simon|first=Stephanie|title=A conservative's answer to Wikipedia|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jun-19-na-schlafly19-story.html|access-date=November 2, 2007|date=June 22, 2007|work=Los Angeles Times}} He felt the need to start the project after reading a student's assignment written using Common Era dating notation, rather than the Anno Domini system that he preferred. Although he was "an early Wikipedia enthusiast", as reported by Shawn Zeller of Congressional Quarterly, Schlafly became concerned about perceived bias after Wikipedia editors repeatedly undid his edits to the article about the 2005 Kansas evolution hearings.{{cite news|last=Zeller|first=Shawn|title=Conservapedia: See Under "Right"|url=https://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/03/05/cq_2356.html|work=The New York Times|date=March 5, 2007|access-date=June 8, 2008}} Schlafly expressed hope that Conservapedia would become a general resource for American educators and a counterpoint to the liberal bias that he perceived in Wikipedia.{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8286084|title=Conservapedia: Data for Birds of a Political Feather? |access-date=July 26, 2007|last=Siegel|first=Robert|newspaper=NPR.org |date=March 13, 2007}}{{cite news|last=Chung|first=Andrew |url=https://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/190501|title=A U.S. conservative wants to set Wikipedia right|work=The Star.com |date=March 11, 2007}}{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Bobbie|url=https://www.theguardian.com/international/story/0,,2024434,00.html|title=Rightwing website challenges 'liberal bias' of Wikipedia|work=The Guardian|date=March 1, 2007}}{{cite web | last1=Goldsbrough | first1=Susannah | title=How Mrs America's son is flying the conservative flag – and fighting Wikipedia's 'liberal lies' | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/mrs-americas-son-flying-conservative-flag-fighting-wikipedias/ | date=July 22, 2020 | work=The Daily Telegraph | access-date=October 24, 2021}} The site has been accused of spreading misinformation on scientific subjects, such as HIV/AIDS denialism, the abortion-breast cancer hypothesis, climate change denial, relativity denial, and vaccine/autism connections,{{Cite journal |last1=Gefter |first1=Amanda |last2=Biever |first2=Celeste |date=August 11, 2010 |title=E=mc²? Not on Conservapedia |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19303-emc2-not-on-conservapedia.html |url-status=live |journal=New Scientist |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701065631/http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19303-emc2-not-on-conservapedia.html |archive-date=July 1, 2015 |access-date=August 26, 2017}}{{Cite web |date=March 19, 2007 |title=Weird, wild wiki on which anything goes |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=41802&in_page_id=2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323193903/http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=41802&in_page_id=2 |archive-date=March 23, 2007 |access-date=March 25, 2007 |work=Metro}}{{Cite news |last=Simon |first=Stephanie |date=June 22, 2007 |title=A conservative's answer to Wikipedia |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jun-19-na-schlafly19-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=November 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624100044/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jun/19/nation/na-schlafly19 |archive-date=June 24, 2011}} and has advocated Young Earth creationism,{{Cite news |last1=Stöcker |first1=Christian |date=March 6, 2007 |title=Wikipedia for Christian Fundamentalists: The Lord's Encyclopedia |work=Der Spiegel |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/wikipedia-for-christian-fundamentalists-the-lord-s-encyclopedia-a-469969.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422224615/http://www.spiegel.de/international/wikipedia-for-christian-fundamentalists-the-lord-s-encyclopedia-a-469969.html |archive-date=April 22, 2015}} Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories{{Cite book |last1=Walker |first1=Clarence E |url=https://archive.org/details/preacherpolitici00walk |title=The Preacher and the Politician: Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama, and Race in America |last2=Smithers |first2=Gregory D |publisher=University of Virginia Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-8139-3247-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/preacherpolitici00walk/page/3 3] |author2-link=Gregory D. Smithers |url-access=registration}} and conspiracy theories that the January 6 United States Capitol attack was staged. Additionally, it features extensive criticisms of atheism, feminism, homosexuality, and the Democratic Party.

In 2009, Schlafly appeared on The Colbert Report to discuss his Conservative Bible Project, a project hosted on Conservapedia that aims to rewrite English translations of the Bible in order to remove or alter terms advancing a "liberal bias".{{cite news |title=A Neocon Bible: What Would Jesus Say? |first=David |last=Gibson |url=http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/07/a-neocon-bible-what-would-jesus-say/ |publisher=Politics Daily |date=October 7, 2009 |access-date=October 7, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091008232724/http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/07/a-neocon-bible-what-would-jesus-say/| archive-date= October 8, 2009 | url-status= live}}

=Dialogue with Richard Lenski=

Richard Lenski, an evolutionary biologist{{cite web|url=http://myxo.css.msu.edu/ |title=Richard Lenski | Home |publisher=Myxo.css.msu.edu |access-date=March 13, 2011}} known for his work on the E. coli long-term evolution experiment, was contacted by Schlafly in 2008 regarding a set of results that showed one population of E. coli evolved the novel trait of being able to metabolize citrate. Conservapedia supports creationism and objects to evolution, so Schlafly disputed that bacteria could evolve via beneficial mutations. The correspondence was commented on across the Internet. Schlafly was criticized by Lenski on Ars Technica, among other sites, for not reading Lenski's paper properly, for not understanding the experimental data he requested, and for not taking notice of people on Conservapedia itself who considered the paper well researched.{{cite web|last=Arthur|first=Charles|title=Conservapedia has a little hangup over evolution|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2008/jul/01/conservapediahasalittlehan|work=Technology Blog|publisher=The Guardian|date=July 1, 2008|access-date=June 4, 2010}}

= Trademark lawsuit against Saint Louis Brewery =

In 2011, Schlafly led a lawsuit on behalf of the family of his activist mother, Phyllis, to block The Saint Louis Brewery from acquiring a trademark on the name "Schlafly". In 2018, the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of The Saint Louis Brewery.{{Cite news|last=Stempel|first=Jonathan|date=November 26, 2018|title=U.S. conservative Phyllis Schlafly's heirs lose trademark appeal over brewery|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-schlafly-brewery-lawsuit-idUSKCN1NV22Y|access-date=July 3, 2021}}

Personal life

In 1984, Schlafly married Catherine Kosarek, a medical student and fellow Princeton alum.{{cite news|title=Catherine Kosarek, Medical Student, Marries Andrew L. Schlafly, Engineer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/25/style/catherine-kosarek-medical-student-marries-andrew-l-schlafly-engineer.html|access-date=June 5, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 25, 1984}} They live in Far Hills, New Jersey.{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/conservative-bible-project-aims-rewrite-scripture-counter-perceived-liberal-bias-article-1.431955|title=Conservative Bible Project aims to rewrite scripture to counter perceived liberal bias|publisher=Associated Press/New York Post|date=December 4, 2009}}