Charles Barnes Goodwin (born 1970) is a
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...
of the
. He was formerly a
United States magistrate judge
In United States federal courts, magistrate judges are judges appointed to assist U.S. district court judges in the performance of their duties. Magistrate judges generally oversee first appearances of criminal defendants, set bail, and conduct ...
of the same court.
Biography
Charles Barnes Goodwin was born in
Clinton, Oklahoma
Clinton is a city in Custer County, Oklahoma, Custer and Washita County, Oklahoma, Washita counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 9,033 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census.
History
The community began in 1899 when ...
, in 1970 to Charles L. "Buzz" and Nancy Goodwin. His father served as Mayor of
Clinton before becoming an Oklahoma state District Judge. He received his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
from the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
and his
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from the
University of Oklahoma College of Law
The University of Oklahoma College of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Oklahoma. It is located on the University's campus in Norman, Oklahoma.
The College of Law was founded in 1909 by a resolution of the OU Boar ...
, where he served on the ''Oklahoma Law Review''. Goodwin then served as a law clerk to then-Magistrate Judge
Claire Eagan
Claire Veronica Eagan (born October 9, 1950) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma and a former Judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Effe ...
of the
and to Judges
Lee Roy West and
Vicki Miles-LaGrange
Vicki Miles-LaGrange (born September 30, 1953) is an inactive Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. She was the first African-American woman to be sworn in as United States ...
of the
. Before becoming a magistrate judge, he was a partner and civil litigator at Crowe & Dunlevy, P.C.
Federal judicial service
Goodwin was appointed to become a
United States magistrate judge
In United States federal courts, magistrate judges are judges appointed to assist U.S. district court judges in the performance of their duties. Magistrate judges generally oversee first appearances of criminal defendants, set bail, and conduct ...
of the
on August 31, 2013. As a federal magistrate judge, he presided over approximately 500 initial proceedings in felony cases, issued approximately 350 opinions in civil cases, and disposed of over 1,000 misdemeanor cases. His service as a magistrate judge terminated when he became a district judge.
On July 13, 2017, President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
nominated Goodwin to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, to the seat vacated by Judge
Robin J. Cauthron, who assumed
senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...
on July 14, 2015. In October 2017, Goodwin received a rating of "not qualified" from the
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...
(ABA). The ABA did not provide an explanation for its rating at the time. On December 13, 2017, a hearing on his nomination was held before the
Senate Judiciary Committee
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations, a ...
. In a letter to the Judiciary Committee, the
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...
(ABA) stated that it had no objection to Goodwin's "judicial temperament, intellectual capacity, writing and analytical abilities, knowledge of the law, or breadth of professional experience". However, the ABA questioned his work habits, complaining that he often did not show up in court until the late afternoon and questioning his ability to administer justice efficiently. Testifying before the committee, Goodwin stated that he often worked remotely from a home office when he did not have court hearings.
On January 3, 2018, his nomination was returned to the President under
Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
. On January 5, 2018, President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
announced his intent to renominate Goodwin to a federal judgeship. On January 8, 2018, his renomination was sent to the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. On January 18, 2018, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 15–6 vote. On August 28, 2018, his nomination was confirmed by a 52–42 vote. He received his judicial commission on August 30, 2018.
Notable rulings
On December 1, 2020, he referred to the
Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act when he declared unconstitutional a 2019 State of Oklahoma law preventing trains from blocking streets for longer than 10 minutes; declaring, in part:
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Charles Barnes
1970 births
Living people
20th-century American lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
21st-century American judges
Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
Oklahoma lawyers
People from Clinton, Oklahoma
United States district court judges appointed by Donald Trump
United States magistrate judges
University of Oklahoma alumni
University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni