Michael Buschbacher
Class of 2006
Posted on November 21, 2022
Ever since he can remember, Michael Buschbacher (‘06) has had a passion for our country and our Constitution. After graduating from Heritage, Michael attended Indiana University and earned a bachelor’s degree in Music and Germanic Studies. “After earning my bachelor’s degree, I seriously considered attending seminary,” said Michael, but he ended up being persuaded by a close friend and mentor to give law school as try. Michael attended and earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame Law School.
Michael credits his participation in the Blackstone Legal Fellowship, an intensive training program for Christian law students, as a turning point in his life and career goals. “Both the education I received and, even more, the friends and mentors I got to know through the program were invaluable and put me on the path I am still on today.” Throughout his career, Michael has enjoyed a variety of work assignments including serving as a law clerk for Judge Alice Batchelder (U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit), as a litigator at a large firm in Washington D.C., and in the leadership office of the Environment Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. These experiences led him to his current role as counsel at Boyden Gray & Associates, a boutique law and strategy firm in Washington, D.C., which focuses on environmental law, climate policy, and Supreme Court and appellate advocacy. Michael also does quite a bit of pro bono work defending religious liberty.
During his time at Heritage, Michael recalls the importance placed on speaking the truth and being salt and light in the world. “Working in the law has always felt like where God has called me to do those things.” He often thinks about a devotional that Mr. Schnake gave before school one morning about the theme of overcoming from the book of Revelation. “I have thought about that often when I have been in a challenging situation or have failed in some way, it has been a big encouragement.”
Today, Michael lives in Hyattsville, Maryland, with his wife, Lauren, and their four children, Mary (10), Josiah (8), Gideon (6), and Nathaniel (3), and they are proud members of Christ Reformed Church on Capitol Hill.