Longtime friend, colleague, and Republican lawyer Dale Oldham wrote this inspiring tribute to North Carolina election law attorney Thomas Farr who passed on April 1, following a series of heart problems.

Like Horatius at the bridge, Tom Farr spent his adult life fighting until his last breath in the defense of the Republic. I first met Tom Farr nearly 35 years ago when a team of unlikely Republican attorneys set out to slay the most enormous, obnoxious, and persistent gerrymander that has ever existed in history. It had first been put in place by the Democratic Party in the wake of their enormous electoral success during the Great Depression and it was intended to make their grip on political power in the United States permanent. It was incredibly successful, far exceeding any gerrymander which preceded or succeeded it. As a result of this gerrymander, in 1992 the Democratic Party had controlled the House of Representatives for 40 years and controlled an overwhelming number of the state legislatures. Analysis of the various maps showed that it would take a nationwide vote in excess of 60% to win a majority of the seats in Congress and the state legislatures under such a gerrymandered map. It paradoxically relied upon the gerrymandering of African American voters, but its real target was always to prevent Republican electoral success. A number of us had decided to strike at the heart of that paradox and by ending the gerrymander against African American voters, we could likewise end the gerrymander of ourselves.

While the ABA, nonpartisan and Republican legal circles all agree that Thomas Farr is well qualified to be a District Court Judge, Senator Schumer and DC-based liberal judicial smear groups are attacking Mr. Farr.  The irony is that the items they are attacking him for are supported by Democrats!

First, Mr. Farr is being attacked for defending North Carolina’s voter ID law for his client, the state of North Carolina.  Putting aside the lawyer's ethical duty to his clients, voter ID is supported by a large majority of Democrats in every survey released.  The most recent survey put the numbers at 63% support for a photo ID requirement from Democrats and more interesting, 69% support from lower-educated Democrats.