[4] She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1983 at the age of 19, graduating first in her class.

[4] She graduated second in her class from Emory University School of Law in 1986 with her Juris Doctor at the age of 22.

As a state district court judge, she presided over jury and bench trials involving civil litigation.

[citation needed] On the recommendation of Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, Haynes was nominated on July 17, 2007 by President George W. Bush to fill a vacancy on the Fifth Circuit created by Judge Harold R. DeMoss Jr., who assumed senior status on July 1, 2007.

She was confirmed by the United States Senate by unanimous consent on April 10, 2008, just under nine months after her nomination.