Joseph R. Goodwin

Joseph Robert Goodwin (born December 23, 1942) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Joseph Robert Goodwin
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
In office
2007–2012
Preceded byDavid A. Faber
Succeeded byRobert Charles Chambers
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
Assumed office
May 10, 1995
Appointed byBill Clinton
Preceded byRobert Jackson Staker
Personal details
Born (1942-12-23) December 23, 1942[1]
Ripley, West Virginia, U.S.
ChildrenBooth Goodwin
RelativesCarte Goodwin (nephew)
Amy Shuler Goodwin (daughter-in-law)
EducationWest Virginia University (BS, JD)

Early life and education

Born in Ripley, West Virginia, Goodwin received a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University in 1965 and was in the United States Army Adjutant General Corps during the Vietnam War, from 1965 to 1967. He received a Juris Doctor from West Virginia University College of Law in 1970.

Career

Goodwin was a city attorney for Ripley from 1971 to 1972, and was then a municipal judge for the city until 1973. He then entered private practice in Charleston, West Virginia, until 1995.

Federal judicial service

On February 28, 1995, Goodwin was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia vacated by the retirement of Robert Jackson Staker. Goodwin was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 8, 1995, and received his commission on May 10, 1995. He served as chief judge of the district from 2007 to 2012.

In June 2017, Goodwin rejected prosecutors' proposed plea bargain because he found holding an open jury trial of an accused fentanyl dealer would be in the public interest.[2]

On October 12, 2022, he ruled the ban on guns without serial numbers to be unconstitutional.[3]

Personal life

Goodwin's son, Booth Goodwin, was appointed in 2010 by President Barack Obama to serve as United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia.[4] His daughter-in-law, Amy Shuler Goodwin, is the mayor of Charleston, West Virginia and, prior to her election, served as a spokesperson for West Virginia governors Bob Wise and Earl Ray Tomblin.[5][6][7] Goodwin's nephew is former U.S. Senator from West Virginia Carte Goodwin.[8]

References
  1. Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Fourth Congress, First Session, on Confirmation of Appointees to the Federal Judiciary
  2. Note, Recent Case: District Court Denies Plea Bargain Due to the Public Interest in Understanding the Opioid Epidemic, 131 Harv. L. Rev. 2073 (2018).
  3. Pierson, Brendan (2022-10-13). "Ban on guns with serial numbers removed is unconstitutional -U.S. judge". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  4. "Alumni Spotight: Robert Booth Goodwin". West Virginia University, College of Business & Economics. Archived from the original on February 8, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  5. Rivard, Ry (23 July 2010). "Extended Goodwin family connections run deep". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  6. "Governor Tomblin's Communications Office". Archived from the original on 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  7. writer, Rebecca Carballo Staff (7 January 2019). "Amy Goodwin sworn in as mayor of Charleston". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  8. "Manchin Taps Carte Goodwin for Senate Seat". The State Journal. July 16, 2010. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
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