[1] Pines, the son of a grocer, was born Joseph I. Pinas in New York City.
In 1925, his father moved the family to Baltimore where they settled on East Biddle Street.
He earned his law degree from the University of Baltimore in 1942, 5 years later he changed his name to Joseph I Pines.
[2] Pines is described as having a very even-tempered demeanor and was always very fair by Judge Joseph H. H. Kaplan who also said of Pines "I was the administrative judge for a lot of the years he was on the bench, and I never heard one complaint about his mistreating someone.
"[1] In June 1986, a Baltimore jury convicted Flint Gregory Hunt of first degree murder, and he was sentenced to death by Judge Pines the following month.