Andrew Ward is a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, where he protects economic liberty, private property, and free speech. He is a leader in IJ’s Fresh Start practice, which challenges laws that unfairly prevent people with criminal records from earning an honest living.
Andrew led IJ’s first Fresh Start case, a successful challenge to a Pennsylvania law that required would-be cosmetologists to prove that they were good people before they could work in skincare. The lawsuit helped inspire reform that eliminated vague “good moral character” requirements throughout the state. He also second chaired DeVillier v. Texas, the Supreme Court case establishing that Texans can bring Fifth Amendment Takings claims against the state.
Before joining IJ, Andrew clerked for Judge Edward Korman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He has also been a litigation associate at the New York office of Sullivan & Cromwell and a law clerk to Judge Raymond Gruender of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Andrew received his law degree, magna cum laude, from New York University. He has undergraduate degrees in mathematics, physics, and English.
Andrew's Cases
4th Amendment Project | Economic Liberty | Private Property
FinCEN Border Cash Surveillance
Esperanza Gomez and Arnoldo Gonzalez, Jr. run small businesses near the U.S.-Mexico border that provide everyday, small-dollar financial services—often for customers without bank accounts. In San Diego, Esperanza helps customers cash checks (often to buy…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Bowers v. Oneida County Industrial Development Agency
Can the government take your property just to hand it over to your business competitor? That is the question New York developer Bryan Bowers asked the United States Supreme Court after New York’s courts said…
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Texas Fresh Start Social Worker
Texas—and the country—face a two-fold problem: an exploding mental health and substance abuse crisis and a dire shortage of professional social workers to address those issues. Yet rather than make it easier for qualified applicants…
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Virginia Fresh Start II
People who have overcome drug or alcohol addiction often want to help others overcome addiction, too. Their firsthand experience can make them particularly well-suited to guide others through recovery. Melissa Brown is one of those…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
California PI License
Jay Fink has a simple business. If you’re a Californian getting too much spam, he’ll look through your junk folder and pull out the emails that might violate California’s anti-spam law. Then you can decide…
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Maryland Grocery Fresh Start
When the government judges someone’s integrity, it should do so based on who they are today—not who they were 20 years ago. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), however, imposes a permanent ban from…
Immunity and Accountability | Private Property
DeVillier v. Texas
Victory! In April 2024, the Supreme Court vacated the Fifth Circuit decision and ruled the DeVillier family can sue Texas for flooding caused by the state. Richie DeVillier lives on the same patch of Texas…
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start
Knoxville Radio
Joe Armstrong brought Black community focused radio back on the air in Knoxville, Tennessee. Now he's fighting the FCC for his license, not for anything he put out over the air, but for an old…
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start | Occupational Licensing
Virginia Fresh Start
Rudy Carey wants to help people overcome addiction through counseling, but Virginia has decided he cannot do so because he has a prior criminal conviction. The Constitution protects Rudy’s right to earn an honest living,…
Economic Liberty | Fresh Start | Occupational Licensing
California Firefighter Fresh Start
Dario Gurrola is a part-time firefighter who wants to turn his passion into a full-time job. But California prevents him from getting an EMT license because of a prior criminal conviction for which he’s already…
Nebraska CON
Marc is allowed to drive customers to the grocery store, but if he wants to drive them to the pharmacy or a routine doctor’s appointment, he needs permission from his competitors. This nonsensical rule hurts…
Kentucky CON
Two Nepali immigrants wanted to open a home health care business to help people in their community, but Kentucky law let their potential competitors stop them from opening up. The two have teamed up with…
Economic Liberty | Hair Braiding | Occupational Licensing
Louisiana Hair Braiding
Hair-braiders in Louisiana are required to complete 500 hours of unnecessary and irrelevant training, pass an exam and pay annual licensing fees just to do their job. Many hair braiders have moved to neighboring states,…
Code Enforcement | Fines and Fees | Private Property
Dunedin, FL Foreclosure
Nobody should lose their home because their grass is too long, but that’s exactly what the city of Dunedin is trying to do to Jim Ficken. Jim and IJ are fighting back against these excessive…
Cosmetology | Economic Liberty | Fresh Start | Occupational Licensing
Pennsylvania Fresh Start
A Pennsylvania law prevented Amanda and Courtney from earning an honest living because of unrelated criminal records. After IJ stepped in to defend their rights, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled this law was unconstitutional.
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Health | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
Hines v. Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
Ron Hines is a veterinarian who offers advice online to customers all over the country, but Texas said his speech was illegal. Now his case can move ahead on First Amendment grounds.
Andrew's Amicus Briefs
Wilkins, et al. v. Hegseth, et al.
4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Andrew's Hearings
Texas Veterinary Speech II Oral Argument
On March 5, 2024 the Institute for Justice presented oral argument before a panel of judges advancing the theory that Dr. Ron Hines, a retired Texas-licensed veterinarian, is protected under the First Amendment for giving advice on animal welfare to those seeking his advice from around the world. This is… Read More
Nebraska CON
The District Court of Lancaster County, Nebraska heard oral arguments from IJ Senior Attorney Andrew Ward on behalf of Marc N’Da who was told he needed a “certificate of public convenience and necessity”, or CON, by the government to operate a business transporting clients to pharmacies or doctor appointments. CONs… Read More
Andrew's Podcasts
April 17, 2026
Short Circuit 424 | Juries for Securities
Getting a jury is one of the most venerated constitutional rights Americans have. But if you’re before the Securities and Exchange Commission there’s been no […]
Listen NowSeptember 29, 2020
California Says These Firefighters Can’t Work—and the Reason Makes No Sense
How a so-called collateral consequence law means California keeps experienced firefighters from earning a living fighting fires
Wildfires are raging across the West, and California is grappling with a record-breaking season. Why, then, does the state tell qualified firefighters that they can’t […]
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