Amy D. Cubbage
Amy is an experienced litigator who practices before state and federal trial and appellate courts, as well as a variety of administrative agencies and tribunals. She has argued cases in all of Kentucky’s appellate courts, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and briefed cases in federal and state courts across the country, including the United States Supreme Court.
Amy’s practice focuses on complex commercial and constitutional litigation, including general commercial litigation, employment litigation, information security and privacy, trust and estate litigation, healthcare litigation (including medical employment contracts), government contracts, elections and campaign finance, and federal and state constitutional claims. She has particular expertise with injunctive relief claims, having been first chair in numerous preliminary and permanent injunction hearings in state and federal courts.
Before joining Tachau Meek in 2022, Amy served as General Counsel to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. Amy also served previously as Vice Chairman and Commissioner of the Kentucky Public Service Commission, and Deputy Secretary of the Labor Cabinet, and has practiced privately in both local and regional law firms. Amy is dedicated to serving her fellow lawyers. She has served three terms as a Fourth Supreme Court District representative on the Kentucky Bar Association’s Board of Governors and will serve as KBA President from July 2022 through June 2023. She has also served on numerous KBA committees and task forces, most notably as chair of the task force which developed the first statewide judicial evaluation, and as chair of the committee which administers the statewide judicial evaluation.
- Recognitions+
Kentucky Super Lawyers®, 2022-2023
- Education+
Amy received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown College (B.A., summa cum laude, 1994), and her law degree from the J. David Rosenberg College of Law at the University of Kentucky (J.D., summa cum laude, 1997).
- Court Admissions+
Amy is admitted to the Kentucky bar (1997), and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Sixth, and Ninth Circuits, and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, the Southern District of Indiana, and the Eastern District of Tennessee.
- Work Highlights+
Highlights of Amy’s practice include:
- Obtaining U.S. Supreme Court “shadow docket” affirmance of an emergency order entered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit dissolving a preliminary injunction issued by a federal court halting an emergency governmental order.
- Successfully defending a statute allowing nonlawyers to represent corporate clients in unemployment insurance referee hearings before the Kentucky Supreme Court.
- Successfully obtaining reversal from the Kentucky Supreme Court of multiple injunctions issued by Kentucky circuit courts against emergency governmental orders.
- Defending a community bank from trademark and unfair competition claims in the Eastern District of Tennessee.
- Negotiating a successful resolution of a contract dispute between a physician group and a hospital system over physician compensation.
- Representing a Medicare managed care organization in contract disputes with a hospital system and the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
- Defending a vendor of complex banking equipment from copyright and unfair competition claims in the Northern District of Ohio.
- Successfully challenging a state campaign finance restriction under the First Amendment which treated school board candidates differently from all other state level candidates in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
- Successfully defending a local government ordinance regarding ticket scalping and peddling from First Amendment claims in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
- Successfully defending the State Board of Elections policy regarding sale of voter rolls from First Amendment claims in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
- Representing multiple waste management companies and trade organizations in involving dormant commerce clause challenges to local waste management ordinances in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
- Community & Personal Activities+
Amy serves on the Board of Governors of the Kentucky Bar Association and will serve as president from July 2022 through June 2023. As a member of the Board of Governors, she has served on the Kentucky Supreme Court’s Rules and Evidence Committees, and on the Board’s Rules, Budget and Finance, Law Practice, Audit, and Judicial Evaluation Committees. Amy also serves on the Board of Directors for the Kentucky Bar Foundation and Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company of Kentucky. She is a former board member for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky and has served the ACLU of Kentucky as a longtime volunteer attorney and Interim Legal Director.
Amy is married and has one daughter.