By DOM and John Byrne
His retirement party was Friday. We will miss Judge Goodman's wit and humor on the bench. Here's a picture with his clerks and CRDs from the party:
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A big loss for our bench. It was always a joy to be in his courtroom. He was sharp, funny, efficient, and, yes, for a while I hear he had a puppet though, sadly, I missed that era. Going into a hearing with him, you just knew he was going to get it right (which, depending on who you represented, was sometimes good and sometimes bad).
OMG it seems like yesterday he became a judge. Best Wishes. I admire judges that retire and don't hang on to the job like a pope.
ReplyDeleteI had filed a motion in a criminal case citing the famous scene from Casablanca when Ricks is raided and Captain Renault says "I am shocked, shocked to find there is gambling on these premises" as a casino employee hands him his winnings and Rick shoots the employee a look. Such great acting by Bogart, and a great allegory for a motion. I should have known to be better prepared when the judge sent it to Magistrate Goodman for a hearing. I was prepared for the argument, but alas not Judge Goodman, who entered the courtroom and proceeded to pepper me with a dozen trivia questions about Casablanca. If I recall I got about half right. He brought such and joie de vivre to his work. Why shouldn't a judge include an apt quote of a rock and roll song in an opinion? Why should law be dull and black and white all the time? Why shouldn't a case, an argument, an opinion, have a few splashes of color? That's what Judge Goodman brought to his work, and I loved it. And David is right. He always got it right. I hope he has a great retirement filled with rock and roll and old movies and all the things he loves.
ReplyDeleteWe need more excellent lawyers on the bench. I hope he practices law again so clients can benefit from his wisdom and experience.
ReplyDeleteJonathan looks like a clown in that photo.
ReplyDeleteIf by “clown” you mean a joyful, soon-to-be retired man, then yes. I’d probably look like a clown too if I was that close to achieving the freedom and consistent tranquility he will soon have.
DeleteI, personally, am jealous of his retirement and the chance to enjoy benefits like social security before they all disappear (as I’m sure you are too—hence your *random* need to insult this kind man anonymously).
I'd normally put my name to this comment, but, because I have a few cases currently with Judge Goodman, I have to remain anonymous. I do want to congratulate Judge Goodman on his retirement, and express my long-held view that he has been, without a doubt, one of the best judges in our district. Yes, he is known for his well-written, and sometimes flashy, opinions, and some of them are now the leading decisions on certain topics (e.g., QBE Ins. Corp. v. Jorda Enters. is *the* order to cite for 30(b)(6) depositions). And yes, he arguably has a big ego (as many who wear the black robe do). But he also always worked his ass off (from what I could tell). He was tough, but he was always fair. He was fun to appear before, even if you lost. And he clearly cared about the court, his colleagues, the lawyers and parties who appeared before him, and doing a good job. All judges in the district -- be they district judges, magistrate judges, or bankruptcy judges -- would be wise to try to emulate Judge Goodman. He will be missed.
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