Andrew Straw

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Straw was born on March 19, 1969, at Marine Corps Base Camp LeJeune located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Straw founded the Disability Party on February 5, 2013, in Indiana.[1] Straw's professional background includes being the founder and president of the Indiana Center for Excellence in Government. He has also worked as a disability rights attorney. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar Diversity Conference.[2][3]

Straw also worked as the statistical analyst for the Indiana Supreme Court, where he collected and analyzed data for Indiana trial courts with a focus on disabilities in the judicial system. He previously co-chaired the Committee on Education of Bench & Bar for the Virginia State Bar Task Force on Technology, worked as a law clerk for the Hon. Joseph E. Spruill, Jr. in Virginia's 15th judicial district, and served as the assistant dean for international programs at the Indiana University-Maurer School of Law. Straw has written as a columnist for Democracy Chronicles. Straw has two children who live in New Zealand with their mother, Straw's ex-wife. His ex-wife is from Italy and teaches Chinese language and culture in New Zealand.[1][4] Straw has served as Deep South male co-convener in the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, and Indiana state delegate to the Green Party National Convention in 2012.[1]

Education

University of Maine, master's degree in peace and reconciliation studies (expected 2027)

University of Otago (Dunedin, NZ), graduate studies in bioethics and health law (2004)[5]

Council for Excellence in Government, fellowship (1999-2000)

Indiana University Maurer School of Law, J.D. (1997)

Indiana University, master's degree in language education (1995)

Indiana University, bachelor's in English & philosophy (1992)

Northridge High School, Middlebury, Indiana

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a disabled lawyer and civil rights advocate. My goal in running for Attorney General is to restore balance to a state government that is out of balance and currently run only by Republicans. When one party rules all, Rule of Law is replaced with favoritism and injustice.

My legal career has been about improving the courts, opposing injustice, and protecting civil rights.

Please read more about me here: www.andrewstraw.com

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Restore the Rule of Law and Limited Government That Follows the Indiana Bill of RightsRestore Balance to Indiana State GovernmentCourt and Law Reforms for Civil Rights & Disability Rights

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I took the oath to uphold state and federal constitutions in the United States for 7 law licenses covering 8 states. I am passionate about making constitutional rights a living reality for Hoosiers. I have opposed sexual harassment by public officers in Indiana and I would be an aggressive advocate for domestic violence and workplace discrimination victims.

After over 20 years of one party controlling this office, there needs to be a shake up in the staff and balance imposed so a Republican silo that favors Republicans over all others is dismantled and reformed.

I strongly believe the Indiana Supreme Court needs reform also and this is why I oppose the retention votes of all justices and judges who will be on the ballot in 2024. Vote me in and vote them out for real reform.

I call this the NO RUSH campaign. www.lorettarush.com

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

This is the highest level attorney position in the state. It advises all of the state agencies and represents them when they are sued. This is a strong focal point for returning balance and constitutional values to state government. Civil rights thrive better when the Attorney General supports them. Other states have used the Attorney General office to advance disability rights and I would use it in that way.

www.andrewstraw.com

The National Association of Attorneys General has described the office as being at the "intersection of law and public policy." What does that mean to you?

It means this office can be a center for change and positive progress, or it can set back civil rights and the rule of law decades. Indiana needs to start protecting property rights instead of denying them by making certain people into pariahs and denying their rights. Everyone should be treated equally under law and I actually believe this. I do not see this office as a partisan conservative lawyer factory and I would clean up that office so that balance is restored.

The attorney general often sets policy priorities for law enforcement. For example, a state's attorney general may decide to dedicate extra resources to combat human trafficking. Are there certain areas of law enforcement that you would emphasize?

Domestic violence and human trafficking are severe problems, as is the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace, both public and private. So, that would be a priority for me. Howeve, I have special dedication to disability rights and I would fully fund and support an office to defend those disabiiity rights, both under state and federal law. No longer should government at any level be allowed not to provide handicap parking or leave piles of snow in sidewalks and handicap spaces. I will dedicate deputies to enforcement of disability rights laws because disabled people are among the most disadvantaged and in need of the government to protect their rights.

I have already done much work in these areas and you can see it on my CV: http://www.andrewstraw.com

A state's attorney general has many responsibilities. Which of those do you personally consider the most important?

Upholding constitutional values is the number one job of this office. When the AG supports and protects the constitution, many errors of law and policy can be avoided. Upholding the Rule of Law is central to good government and the AG should aggressively enforce federal laws as the Constitution requires.

Attorneys general can represent their states in legal conflicts with the federal government. Do you consider this an important part of an attorney general's responsibilities?

I believe squabbles with the federal government often are the result of a state seeking to impose its will on other states and the federal government. There needs to be a greater humility and cooperation to protect citizens rather than use the Attorney General's office to prove political points.

This office is meant to serve the People, not go off on crusades that are thinly-veiled preparations for other offices and other campaigns. This office will be more balanced with me as a Democratic AG and if I use the office for this purpose, it will always be to protect citizens in Indiana, first and foremost, not make AG into a political party platform.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a state's attorney general to have previous experience in government or politics?

I have strong experience in law and politics and even earned a grade of "A" in Law and Politics as a law student at Indiana University. My background is solid and even my disabilities make me into a better candidate because they are from public service and they make me more aware of the troubles of others.

One big problem is when this office becomes a mouthpiece for unthinking partisanship. I am running to change things and return to the Rule of Law, not to enforce any party's platform or partisan goals.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I definitely look up to my brother, a 2-time veteran of the Afghanistan conflict. He is a retired critical care trauma nurse and his team saved about 600 Americans and civilians blown up on the battlefield. He advocates for marijuana legalization and I agree with him.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Several films motivate and inspire me.

1984 (showing what happens when government is far too powerful and opposes individual rights)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8BA7adK6XA

Philiadephia (showing how disability discrimination is a legal system catastrophe)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKDz2LVHz0Y

Semper Fi, Always Faithful (showing how the military poisoned its own and resisted accountability)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oihMK73zi0

I am always deeply moved when I watch MLK's last speech, which discusses illegal court injunctions that violate civil rights and the Constitution.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty is most important.

Intelligence.

Compassion.

You can be the judge by looking at my past work.

http://www.andrewstraw.com

http://links.andrewstraw.com

http://all.andrewstraw.com

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a stubborn believer in constitutional rights and limited government that favor individuals over large institutions.

I have experience as a law school administrator, state judicial branch analyst, and attorney for a billionaire transporation planning legend.

You'll find me to be an honest, hard-working and fair individual who believes in civil rights for all.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Enforcing the Constitution is the number one job.

Managing and improving the staff is also important.

Removing staff who are too partisan and engage in partisan favoritism is highly important also.

This office needs a much stronger dedication to disability and other civil and human rights. I will make sure that this is actioned.

Both state and federal courts have discriminated based on disability back ot the founding and I will push hard to reform this so there are more disabled lawyers and these lawyers are NOT oppressed with violence and interference by the Indiana Supreme Court.

Tennessee v. Lane, 541 U.S. 509, 511, 525, 531 (2004)

See:

http://dueprocess.andrewstraw.com

http://mitigation.andrewstraw.com

http://inrestraw.andrewstraw.com

The Indiana Supreme Court bans all disabled people from being lawyers and this injustice is smack in my crosshairs for reform.

No matter how many illegal, false, and misleading attacks Indiana's Republican and conservative judges and justices violate me me, it will not change the fact that my demand for change is timely and needed desperately.

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/diversity/disabilityrights/initiatives_awards/spotlight/straw_a/

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want this world to be more accessible for disabled people and fair for all. This is a simple goal on its face but seems to elude those in power.

I want my children and stepchildren to be proud of their association with me as "Dad" and "Poppa Andrew."

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I distinctly remember President Nixon resigning on TV when I was about 5 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked several years in my father's Goshen, Indiana, butcher shop starting at age 13. At 17, I started working for a Friendly's Ice Cream restaurant in Elkhart, Indiana.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I always enjoyed Tolkein's Lord of the Rings because of its consistent theme of fighting evil and sorrow for the pain evil causes.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Gandalf

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

1977, by Ana Tijoux

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiQ7S38nKog

I also really enjoyed this version of Man of Constant Sorrow:

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My disabilities are huge struggles for me and they came from public service.

http://disability.andrewstraw.com

I have many disabilities from being poisoned by the U.S. Marine Corps, but I am fighting for compensation.

Straw v. U.S., 7:23-cv-162-BO-BM (E.D.N.C.)

http://clja.andrewstraw.com

http://clja2.andrewstraw.com

That poisoning killed my mother while I was still in law school in Bloomington. I have a claim for her wrongful death also.

A reckless driver broke both of my legs and pelvis on the way to the Indiana Supreme Court work. It has been very hard to deal with or accept the discrimination that flowed toward me after that sacrifice. Ultimately, I lost 5 law licenses as a result of disability discrimination and I am seeking my recompense.

Straw v. Indiana, 53C06-2110-PL-2081 (Monroe Cty. Cir. Ct. #6 2023)

Straw v. Indiana, 23A-PL-775 (Ind. Ct. App.)

While I was working for the Indiana Supreme Court, I visited Lower Manhattan became a 9/11 victim with respiratory and digestive tract issues. I have a bona fide VCF claim for these injuries. I was there in the contaminated area in September 2001.

So, disability has been a weight on my shoulders but it also teaches me the extreme importance of government helping disabled people and reducing that burden rather than piling more on with discrimination.

I will be the #1 advocate for disability rights in Indiana government as its Attorney General.

Tell us your favorite joke.

How many lawyers does it take to install a lightbulb?

That'll be $1 million.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Stay tuned. www.andrewstraw.com

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am the Founder of Disability Party, which was created in 2013 to advance the "access & opportunity" for all disabled people. I am also a disabled lawyer and disability advocate. You can see my legal work in 2022 and my efforts to reform the courts and disability access. http://2022.andrewstraw.com

Court reform: http://indiana.disabilityparty.org

CV: http://www.andrewstraw.com

Links: http://links.andrewstraw.com

Comprehensive Work: http://all.andrewstraw.com

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Disabled Hoosiers need the ability to participate as candidates and if I get enough votes, they will have that chance.American state and federal courts discriminate and this must change so that legitimate law reform is not stymied by hostile judges.Disabililty programs need to ensure a basic income and help in obtaining good jobs with good pay. Laws designed to ensure access and crush discrimination need more teeth.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am a victim of Camp LeJeune poisoning and I want all family members of veterans to have strong protections instead of just letting us all die on the vine, rejected for health care and compensation.

Disabled people need the ability to participate and saying they can vote is not enough. They need the ability to run for office and this is why I am running for Indiana Secretary of State. This is a key office that determines the ballot access of a party. If I get 2% of the vote for this office, it will open the way for disabled Hoosiers to run in a party that understands them and welcomes them.

Government needs to disability advocates who do not reject most requests for help. There also need to be websites that explain how all disability programs can be coordinated for the maximum benefit of the disabled person, including veterans, their families, and those who injured at work or as a child.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE PAGE, INDIANA ELECTION DIVISION:

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Secretary of State is the gateway to ballot access for my Disability Party. If I can get 2% of the vote as a write-in (or if I can get on the ballot in 2026), Disability Party can open the door to disabled people who want to run on the ticket of a party that values them and wants every justice for them.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to every person who lives a life of quiet desperation with disabilities. Desperate because they suffer discrimination with courts overwhelmingly opposed to their justice. I follow and admire every civil rights leader who has made their category more protected and the nation less tolerant of discrimination. I look up to former Justice Stevens for his frank and truthful explanation of how state courts in America discriminate widely and have always done so. Tennessee v. Lane, 541 U.S. 509, 525, 531 (2004).

I will look up to every disabled person who makes the effort to run for office and my candidacy here is to help them.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

My philosophy grew out of a national betrayal at Camp LeJeune. The worst thing any government can do is betray veterans and their families, poisoning them and killing or disabling.

I am disabled from this. My mother was killed by it.

Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oihMK73zi0

This is why honesty and compassion are the top values in my view.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and compassion are the most important traits of any elected official. Flexibility is also desireable. Being well rounded and highly educated are helpful.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am fully committed to advancing the interests of people with disabilities. I possess the honesty and compassion needed, as well as the educational and experiential background.

http://www.andrewstraw.com

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Like any top statewide official, the ability to manage staff and set policies that make sense are highly desirable. Flexibility in advancing change and listening to others is also helpful.

Secretary of State should make it a priority to ensure disabled people can participate in elections both as voters and candidates.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want my work to make courts more receptive to disability arguments and less replete with discrimination, as they are now. Most rights eventually end up supported or defeated in court and that makes having an influence on that branch critical. I want my legacy to be such change.

I also want disabled people to run for office and not be excluded from public policy discussions of all kinds. Ballot access is key to this.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember President Nixon resigning. I was 5.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked as cleanup and sales for a butcher shop owned by my parents. It was called Community Locker and I started working there when I was 13. Worked there off and on while I was in high school.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Lord of the Rings

My mother gifted me this book when I was in 4th grade and reading it assiduously and repeatedly for 2 years left me with a vocabulary at the post-HS level.

As a person suffering from poisoning disabilities and betrayal, that trilogy spoke to me with its treatment of evil and struggles against overwhelming odds.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superman

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

All the Good Girls Go to Hell (Billie Eilish)

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Crimes of other people have disabled me and vicious discrimination has held me back, especially by judges and courts and even other lawyers who truly know better.

http://crime.andrewstraw.com

http://disability.andrewstraw.com

https://independent.academia.edu/AndrewUDStraw

http://2022.andrewstraw.com

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Secretary of State is in charge of administering elections. But the most important fact is its role as a gateway for new parties to get ballot access without having to get ungodly numbers of signatures for each race.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

My focus is on getting 2%. Ballot access for my party is my principal reason for running at all.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

The Secretary of State has so many helpers and staff, any voter who qualifies for the office is adequate for the office to run well.

I am not running for this office to be the Secretary of State, but instead to give all disabled people in Indiana the right and ability to run for office without having to be burdened with impossible signature requirements. If I get 2%, that goal will be reached.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

I think anyone who attempts to get 2% for a new party is doing something honorable. Expanding the universe of choices Hoosier voters will have is a patriotic goal. I encourage any new party to try.

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What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Disability Rights

Poisoned Children of Veterans

Court Reform

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about disability rights and reforms at the state and federal level to remove corrupt officers who discriminate with impunity. Health reform is critical--I would start with expanding Medicare Part D to all people living in the USA. I would expand Medicare coverage to anywhere around the globe. I feel the border crisis and humanitarian fiasco can be alleviated with a $100 Americas Visa. Pay $100, do biometrics, Welcome to the United States. Student loans should be frozen, no payments or interest unless one makes over $250,000 per year.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I consider myself a civil rights leader on disability and I look up to all civil rights leaders who achieve change through their own personal suffering and teaching others.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

1984. While I believe government can be the source of security and joy, it can also be a hateful source of human rights abuse. Any human institution is the same, even courts. As a disabled lawyer, I have always been very moved by the movie Philadelphia. It shows how lawyers and judges can discriminate. His trial used the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This is significant to me because I spent my childhood growing up in Rep. John Brademas' U.S. House district. He was the author of that Act.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Compassion and integrity and intelligence. People must be first, and I will never support any doctrine that puts money or some other principle over people.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have suffered. While I am very privileged to be a lawyer and civil rights leader, I have experienced pain and suffering and poverty for long periods of my life, as well as official tyranny and discrimination based on my disabilities. The extent of the damage by the Indiana Supreme Court is worth considering, and you can read about it in this document I proposed to alleviate the injuries. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ec_xNPW5wO4WhkcPsNdJUDvf2vY90t23/view?usp=sharing

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The House has primary responsibility for spending money, but civil rights legislation and oversight of courts and the president are also important. I would impeach Trump, but if he loses, this will not be an issue. I would encourage the House to impeach a number of judges who violated due process in front of me, such as hiring a litigant and then favoring them. This is extremely bad for a court and must be punished to teach others not to do this.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to be remembered for having finally brought justice to those poisoned at Camp LeJeune and other bases. There must be compensation and health care and there must be no denials by VA or BVA. ADA and disability rights reforms are critically important and the federal courts have been hideous in their hostility, so another system of enforcing the Act must be allowed. This may include allowing venue in any U.S. District Court, not just in the place where the wrongs happened. I want to be remembered as compassionate, and this is why I will push for Medicare Part D to cover every American and student loans to be frozen with no interest unless someone makes over $250,000. I would make sure that the poverty line income steadily increases without complicated and political agency actions to hurt poor people. Many reparations for U.S. government actions require payment, and welfare payments protect all disadvantaged groups.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember President Nixon on TV, resigning from office. I was about 5.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Besides a little lemonade stand with frozen bananas and chocolate, I worked for my father when I was 13 in his butcher shop and frozen locker storage. I learned about keeping things clean, producing a valuable product, and how businesses thrive based on reputation and quality. I learned that it was fun to earn my own money and I started a coin collection that I passed to my children. I made the minimum wage, which was $3.15 per hour.

What happened on your most awkward date?

We didn't really click, so there was a lot of politeness and waiting for the date to end.

What is your favorite holiday? Why?

I like Halloween because the next day is All Saints Day. It is also fun to see how creative people can be with their costumes. It's a holiday for kids, like Christmas.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Nine Stories, by J.D. Salinger. There is a rough spirituality in these stories and honest prose that I can only admire. There are also abrupt moments of intense sadness that are very powerful.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Hamlet.

What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?

I do so much with my iPhone, that must be it. I've always liked technology since I was a kid and we had a Vic-20 at home, and later a computer with an actual hard drive. I learned to program when I was 13, about the same time I was working in the butcher shop. Sometimes I did work for my parents using WordStar and other old programs. My mother was a computer programmer until her death in 1997. She said the Internet would be exploding the use of databases and that I should make myself familiar with this.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

White Flag, by Dido

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My main struggle has not been the mental and physical disabilities, even though these have been hard challenges. (www.andrewudstraw.com). The hardest thing is when other people discriminate, especially people who should know better, like attorneys and judges.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I believe a state should be granted an appropriate number of U.S. House seats after the Census. Then, the voters should be assigned to districts statewide by counting off the number of seats in the voter roll and repeating until all voters are assigned to districts. After this is done, new voters are assigned in order by date in the same way. These should not be changed until the next Census. No possible impermissible motivation can infect such a system.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

It is the first part of government listed in the Constitution. Everything flows from the House and its powers. Even the Constitution is mainly changed through an Act of the House and the Senate. Presidents and judges may have some say over the Constitution later, but Congress is the source, with the ratification of the states. Monetary powers flow from the House, and this makes the House where compassion and intelligence meet to serve the people.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe it is important to have a legal background, preferably a lawyer, because the vast bulk of actions in the House are done through legislation. Anyone who meets the constitutional qualifications should be able to do the job, and that is why there are no other qualifications. I trust the Founders left this job so open to the public for good reasons.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Disability reform is absolutely necessary because powerful people are allowing discrimination that should be against the law.