Jump to content

Charles Barnes Goodwin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Charles Barnes Goodwin
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
Assumed office
August 30, 2018
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byRobin J. Cauthron
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
In office
August 31, 2013 – August 30, 2018
Personal details
Born1970 (age 53–54)
Clinton, Oklahoma, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Oklahoma (BA, JD)

Charles Barnes Goodwin (born 1970)[1] is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. He was formerly a United States magistrate judge of the same court.

Biography

[edit]

Charles Barnes Goodwin was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, in 1970 to Charles L. "Buzz" and Nancy Goodwin. His father served as Mayor of Clinton before becoming an Oklahoma state District Judge.[2] He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oklahoma and his Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he served on the Oklahoma Law Review. Goodwin then served as a law clerk to then-Magistrate Judge Claire Eagan of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma and to Judges Lee Roy West and Vicki Miles-LaGrange of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Before becoming a magistrate judge, he was a partner and civil litigator at Crowe & Dunlevy, P.C.[3]

Federal judicial service

[edit]

Goodwin was appointed to become a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma 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 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 on July 14, 2015.[4] In October 2017, Goodwin received a rating of "not qualified" from the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA did not provide an explanation for its rating at the time.[5] On December 13, 2017, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[6] In a letter to the Judiciary Committee, the American Bar Association (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, stating 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.[7]

On January 3, 2018, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate.[8] On January 5, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to renominate Goodwin to a federal judgeship.[9] On January 8, 2018, his renomination was sent to the Senate.[10] On January 18, 2018, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 15–6 vote.[11] On August 28, 2018, the Senate confirmed his nomination by a 52–42 vote.[12] He received his judicial commission on August 30, 2018.[13]

Notable rulings

[edit]

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:[14]

. . . a state or local government can address grade-level railroad crossing issues in a manner that does not run afoul of federal law . . . But a statute that tells railroad companies how long they may stop their trains — for whatever ends — intrudes on the territory reserved to the ICCTA.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lawyer Central profile
  2. ^ "CHARLES GOODWIN's Obituary on Oklahoman". Oklahoman. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  3. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Fifth Wave of Judicial Candidates" White House, July 13, 2017
  4. ^ " Ten Nominations Sent to the Senate Today" White House, July 13, 2017
  5. ^ Tillman, Zoe (October 3, 2017). "One Of Trump's Judicial Picks Received A Rare "Not Qualified" Rating From Top Legal Group". BuzzFeed. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  6. ^ United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for December 13, 2017
  7. ^ "Oklahoma City federal judge defends his work ethic before Senate committee". newsok.com. December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  8. ^ "Congressional Record", United States Senate, January 3, 2018
  9. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Renomination of 21 Judicial Nominees", White House, January 5, 2018
  10. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate Today", The White House, January 8, 2018
  11. ^ Results of Executive Business Meeting – January 18, 2018, Senate Judiciary Committee
  12. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation Charles Barnes Goodwin, of Oklahoma, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma)". United States Senate. August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  13. ^ Charles Barnes Goodwin at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  14. ^ Clay, Nolan (December 2020). "Oklahoma train crossing law ruled unconstitutional". Tulsaworld.com. Tulsa World. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
[edit]
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
2018–present
Incumbent