[1] His parents were Beulah (née Lenfast) and Edgar Jennings Goodrich, an attorney "regarded as the nation's foremost authority on tax law….
"[2][3] In 1931, his father was appointed judge of the U.S. Board of Tax Appeals, and the family moved to Washington D.C.[2][4] They spent their summers at their cottage, Sandy Bottoms, at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
[2] During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy as a corpsman and operating room technician on the hospital ship, USS Sanctuary (AH-17), in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.
[1][8] Their offices were in Washington, D.C.[8] On August 12, 1969, President Richard Nixon appointed Goodrich to a ten-year term as an associate justice of the District of Columbia Court.
The Commission of Judicial Tenure evaluated his performance as follows: "Judge Goodrich is known among his colleagues, practicing attorneys, and others familiar with his conduct on the Court as a dedicated and hard-working jurist, who takes his judicial duties most seriously and sincerely, and whose diligence and steady dependability are of the highest order.
He listens attentively to the argument of counsel, and shows a courteous respect and concern for their professional efforts in his Courtroom... His decisions are well written and concise, indicating a comprehensive grasp of the law and an understanding of the pivotal issues of the cases being tried by him.
He keeps matters moving forward in his Courtroom, and maintains good control over proceedings coming before him… He has contributed immeasurably to improving the image of the Superior Court and to elevating the quality of judicial performance in the District of Columbia.
[12][13] The judge found that it was "a mighty strange coincidence" that McKnight was expelled after ignoring the university president's request to stop newspaper coverage of the topic.
"[12] Goodrich noted that, even if true, Howard's position was "inflexible" and also "questioned the propriety of expelling McKnight for the admissions infraction after she had completed three years at the school.
[1] Early in his career, Goodrich was a member of the District of Columbia Junior Bar Association, serving as chair of its program and activities committee.
[6] The couple moved to Jefferson Park Avenue in Charlottesville, Virginia while Goodrich attended law school.
[2] He also served on the board of the American Red Cross D.C. Chapter, the Hillcrest Children's Center, and St. Albans School.