About Joe Dunman

Joe Dunman is an Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. He teaches Torts and Lawyering Skills. His research tends to focus on employment law, torts, anti-discrimination law, and religion in the law.

Prior to joining the faculty at UofL, Joe served as the Managing Attorney for the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights. The Commission administers and enforces the Kentucky Civil Rights Act, which prohibits class-based discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations.

While at the Commission, Joe taught part-time as an instructor at UofL Law, teaching Constitutional Law, Civil Rights and Liberties, and Employment Law.

From 2017-2022, Joe was an assistant professor of legal studies at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky. He taught undergraduate courses on torts, legal research and writing, administrative law, and individual rights. Joe has also taught as an adjunct professor at Bellarmine University.

Before joining the faculty at Morehead State, Joe practiced as an attorney in Louisville, Kentucky. His primary areas of legal experience include employment law, civil rights, and constitutional law. 

Joe represented the plaintiffs/petitioners in the Kentucky marriage equality cases of Bourke v. Beshear and Love v. Beshear, which were consolidated under the banner of Obergefell v. Hodges, a landmark civil rights decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

From 2014 to 2018, Joe was a regular contributor to the now-defunct Insider Louisville, for which he won first place awards in 2015, 2016, and 2018 from the Society of Professional Journalists for political commentary. From 2016 to 2017, he hosted the podcast Heightened Scrutiny, exploring the landmark civil rights cases of the Supreme Court. Around the same time, he co-hosted (with colleague Dan Canon) the legal podcast Parade of Horribles.

Joe is a Kentucky Colonel, a proud husband and dad, and is a member of the board of directors of House of Ruth, which provides housing for Kentuckians living with HIV.

Notable Litigation Experience

• Bourke v. Beshear and Love v. Beshear (W.D.Ky., CA6, S.Ct.) - represented six couples in challenges to Kentucky's constitutional and statutory bans of same-sex marriage.

• Stevens v. Commonwealth (Ky.) - post-conviction challenge to effectiveness of trial and appellate representation under C.R. 1142.

• Boodram et al. v. Coomes et al. (W.D.Ky.) - represented former employee/partner with breach of contract, fraud, and conspiracy claims.

• Howard v. Cracker Barrel, Inc. (W.D.Ky.) - represented former employee with claims of pregnancy discrimination, FMLA retaliation, and retaliation under the Kentucky Civil Rights Act, KRS 344.

• Doak v. Exit Solutions, Inc. (Ky.) - represented former employee with claims of medical discrimination under Kentucky Equal Opportunity Act, KRS 207, and violation of FMLA.

• Veith v. Louisville Baseball Club, Inc. (Ky.) - represented former employee with claim of age discrimination under Kentucky Civil Rights Act, KRS 344.

• Roberts v. North Central District Health Department (Ky.) - represented former employee with whistleblower and wage and hour claims under KRS 377.

• Johnson v. American Signature, Inc. (S.D.In.) - represented former employee with race discrimination and retaliation claims under Title VII and Indiana Civil Rights Law, IC-22-9.

• Mellon v. Lowes Home Centers, LLC et al. (S.D.In.) - represented former employee with sexual harassment, sex discrimination, and retaliation claims under Title VII and Indiana Civil Rights Law, IC-22-9.

Notable Opinions

• Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. _____ (2015).

• Love v. Beshear, 989 F. Supp. 2d 536 (W.D. Ky. July 1, 2014)

• Love v. Beshear, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65945 (W.D. Ky. May 13, 2014)

• Bourke v. Beshear, 996 F. Supp. 2d 542 (W.D. Ky. Feb. 12, 2014)

Selected Publications

Amicus Briefs

• Brief of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, Nelson v. Louisville Metro, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Nos. 22-5884/22-5912.

• Brief of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, Turner v. Norton Healthcare, Kentucky Supreme Court No. 22-SC-0004.

• Brief of the National Association for Public Defense and Kentucky Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Sneed v. Burress et al., U.S. Supreme Court, 16-8047.

• Brief of National Employment Law Project, Kentucky Restaurant Association, et al. v. Louisville Metro Gov., Kentucky Supreme Court No. 15-SC-000371.

Academic Articles

• Harmonizing State and Federal Anti-Discrimination Law: The Problem of the ADAAA, __ U. Louisville L. Rev. ___ (2023) (forthcoming).

• Warrant Nullification, 124 W. Virginia L. Rev. 479 (2021) [direct link or SSRN]

• The Devil in Recent American Law, 39 Pace L. Rev. 929 (2019) [direct link or SSRN]

• Blind Imitation: The Revolting Persistence of Bowers v. Hardwick, 33 Thomas Cooley L. Rev. 1 (2016) [SSRN]

• Navigating Kentucky Employment Retaliation Law In the Wake of Brooks V. Lexington-Fayette Urban County Housing Authority, 53 U. Louisville L. Rev. Online 1 - 39 (2014) [direct link or SSRN]

Magazine Articles

• Fighting Allegations of Misconduct in Unemployment Benefits Appeals, The Advocate (Kentucky Justice Association), January/February 2015, (pdf)

About This Site

Web site layout and architecture by Squarespace. Fonts used are PT Serif and FF Dagny.

Bar Admissions

• Kentucky, 2012

Courts

• Kentucky Supreme Court

• U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky

• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky

• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

• United States Supreme Court 

Education

• University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, J.D.

• Murray State University, B.A.

This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.