Justice Baker attended undergraduate and law school at the University of Iowa, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1975 with Honors in Sociology and his Juris Doctor degree in 1979 with high honors, Order of the Coif.
[3] In 2011, Baker received The Louise Noun Award, given annually by the ACLU of Iowa to honor people who have contributed significantly to the defense of civil liberties.
[4] In 2012, Baker received a Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation,[5] along with fellow justices Marsha K. Ternus and Michael J. Streit.
In his acceptance speech he stated "The three of us up for retention made a deliberate decision not to form campaign committees"[6] Justice Baker was an Adjunct Faculty Member at Iowa Law until 2019.
[7] He was a member of the Iowa Judicial Nominating Commission from 2012-2018 and the Cedar Rapids Board of Ethics.