Senator Lankford Introduces Judge Charles Goodwin at Nomination Hearing

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WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today introduced Oklahoma Judge Charles Goodwin at his nomination hearing before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Goodwin is nominated to serve on the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.

Goodwin currently serves as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Oklahoma. Goodwin presided over approximately 500 initial proceedings in felony cases, issued approximately 350 opinions in civil cases, and disposed over 1000 misdemeanor cases. Previous to serving as Magistrate Judge, Goodwin was a partner and civil litigator at Crowe & Dunlevy, P.C., and served as a law clerk to Judge Lee R. West of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma and then-Magistrate Judge Claire V. Eagan in the Northern District of Oklahoma. Goodwin received his BA from the University of Oklahoma and JD from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he served on the Oklahoma Law Review.

Transcript:

Mr. Chairman, it is absolutely an honor to be able to be here. To be able to introduce Charles Goodwin. President Trump nominated Charles Goodwin to serve as a federal district court judge in the Western District of Oklahoma on July the 13^th. He is a lifelong Oklahoman, graduate of the University of Oklahoma—which will win the national championship in a few weeks—and he is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law. He has served as a Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Oklahoma for four years, demonstrating a strong reputation for being fair and ethical. He also serves as the chair of the Western District local civil rules committee. He has received the Martindale-Hubbell AV rating of 5, a preeminent rating for the highest level of professional excellence. Before serving as a Magistrate Judge, he was a partner and civil litigator at Crowe & Dunlevy for 13 years. He has practiced in all of the three federal district courts in Oklahoma, federal district courts in New York, California, the Courts of Appeals for the 2^nd and 10^th Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He has worked as a law clerk for US District Judge Lee West from 1998-1999, and he was also assigned to work with District Court Judges Ralph Thompson, Tim Leonard, Wayne Alley, Vicki Miles-Lagrange. He also clerked for US Magistrate, now District Court Judge Claire Eagan in 1998. Both Senator Inhofe and I both believe he is qualified to serve as the US District Court Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma. 

The Chief Judge for the Western District, as you have already mentioned, Mr. Chairman, Joe Heaton, said that Charles Goodwin has the full confidence of the district judges. Serving with him for the last four years as a Magistrate Judge, they have watched him in his daily work, and they have seen the quality and quantity of the work and professionalism that he works with. His statement was, “based on the service here, and his experience as a partner practicing lawyer with one of Oklahoma’s largest law firms, I believe Judge Goodwin is plainly qualified to be a US District Judge.” The Oklahoma City chapter of the Federal Bar Association said this about Judge Goodwin, “he is a superb choice for the District Court bench. We know him to be thoughtful and intelligent as a judge and a lawyer with the right judicial temperament.” Similarly, past-Presidents of the Oklahoma Bar Association have said, “each of us knows Charles personally or by reputation and believes he is highly qualified for this position. As a lawyer and a judge, Charles has always exhibited a high degree of ethical conduct, professionalism, competence, hard work, and, as a judge, exceptional judicial temperament.” Former governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating said that Charles Goodwin is a “capable and fine person, lawyer and judge who cares about the principles set forth in the United States Constitution and the people of the state of Oklahoma.” Former US Attorney for the Western District Sanford Coats, who was nominated by President Obama, said that “Charles Goodwin is well qualified for the position for which he has been nominated. We have been privileged for many decades to have outstanding individuals answer the call to serve as judges here, and Judge Goodwin is right in line with that tradition.” Former US Attorney Robert McCampbell, also from the Western District, who was nominated by President Bush, said that “Judge Goodwin is an outstanding lawyer, and outstanding Magistrate Judge, and would be an outstanding District Judge.” Former US Attorney Dan Webber, who was nominated by President Clinton, said that he believes, “Judge Goodwin is more than qualified to be a District Court Judge.” Judge Goodwin has received letters of support from fellow attorneys at Crowe & Dunlevy, as well as other firms in Oklahoma. 

He is a reputable attorney, he has been a quality Magistrate Judge, and I believe he will continue to serve Oklahoma and the nation well as on the federal bench for the Western District of Oklahoma. We highly recommend him, and as many of Oklahomans have stated in multiple letters to this committee and to our office, have stated he is also highly qualified. We look forward to seeing him serving the people of Oklahoma in the Western District. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

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