He was in the United States Army Air Forces as a Lieutenant during World War II, from 1943 to 1945.

He was director of research and drafting for the Constitutional Convention of the State of Michigan from 1961 to 1962.

He was a dean and professor of law at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan from 1967 to 1972.

[2] On April 25, 1972, Joiner was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan vacated by Judge Talbot Smith.

[2] He turned 100 in February 2016[3] and died on March 10, 2017, in Naples, Florida, at the age of 101.