Charles Barnes Goodwin

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 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 took 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, complaining that he often didn't 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 didn't 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, his nomination was confirmed by a vote of 52–42.[12] He received his judicial commission on August 30, 2018.

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:[13]

. . . 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.