Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Haynes received a Bachelor of Arts degree from College of St. Thomas in 1970 and a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1973.
He was an adjunct professor, Southeastern Paralegal Institute from 1986 to 1990.
He was an adjunct professor, Vanderbilt University School of Law from 1987 to 1994 and from 1997 to 1998.
From 1984 until 1999, Haynes served as a United States magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
On May 27, 1999, President Bill Clinton nominated Haynes to be a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, to a seat vacated by Thomas A. Higgins.