Haynes invested as District Court Judge for the Eastern Shore

James Matthew Haynes Jr. was officially invested as General District Court Judge for the Eastern Shore on Friday. He is the son of  the late James Matthew Haynes and Barbara Fears Haynes, and the grandson of the late Senator Bill Fears and the late Dr. Belle DeCormis Fears. A native of the area, Haynes graduated from Broadwater Academy.

Although he began his legal career off the Shore, Haynes practiced law in both Virginia and Maryland. Over the years, he handled hundreds of cases, ranging from minor matters to significant ones—including the high-profile Pan Am crash case in Lockerbie, Scotland.

A recurring theme throughout the investiture ceremony was Haynes’s deep-rooted desire to return to his Eastern Shore home. Judge Lynwood Lewis described this sentiment as “a sense of place.”

In his own remarks, Judge Haynes expressed, “It has always been my desire to return to the Shore. I never wanted to leave.”

Judge Haynes succeeds Judge Gordon Vincent and will begin serving immediately in the General District Courts of both Accomack and Northampton Counties.