Judge Johnny Lee Baynes
Remembered as a gentle giant in the legal community, he first sat on the New York City Civil Court bench in 2005 and subsequently won an election for a 14-year term to Kings County Supreme Court in 2011. He realized that injustice prevailed in his community and devoted his life to eradicating it. Justice Baynes was known for keeping a firm hand over his court but never raising his voice, even when things irked him. He famously said, “Once you’ve raised your voice, you’ve lost the room.” Baynes died at 64 years of age from pneumonia on March 26 after contracting the coronavirus.
