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.
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.
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.
[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.