Kenneth Noble "Ken" Sanborn (born November 14, 1926) is a retired Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

 politician and judge best known for successfully defending his friend Milo Radulovich against charges of communism

Communism

Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

 in 1953. The case was a major factor in helping turn public opinion in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 against McCarthyism

McCarthyism

McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...

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Early life

Sanborn has resided in Mount Clemens, Michigan

Mount Clemens, Michigan

Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,312. It is the county seat of Macomb County.-Early history:...

, for most of his life. He married Lois Leidel, and they had four children: Christine, Janice, Mark, and Alan

Alan Sanborn

Alan Bruce Sanborn is a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Sanborn is the son of Lois and Kenneth Sanborn. Kenneth Sanborn is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives, former Circuit Court judge, and one of the attorneys who undertook the successful defense of...

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Career

Ken Sanborn graduated from the University of Detroit Law School in 1949. Sanborn's career as a lawyer was highlighted by the Radulovich trial, which gained national attention. He served as Clinton Township

Clinton Township, Michigan

Clinton Township is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Michigan:*Clinton Charter Township, Michigan in Macomb County*Clinton Township, Lenawee County, Michigan*Clinton Township, Oscoda County, Michigan...

's Justice of the Peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 from 1951 to 1956, then was elected State Representative for Macomb County

Macomb County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 788,149 people, 309,203 households, and 210,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,640 people per square mile . There were 320,276 housing units at an average density of 667 per square mile...

 (then the 3rd District) and held that seat in 1957 and 1958. He next served as Clinton Township Supervisor, from 1959 to 1961, and held office as the trustee and chairman of Macomb Community College

Macomb Community College

Macomb Community College is a community college with several locations in Michigan. Its headquarters are in Warren.-History:The Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction approved the establishment of South Macomb Community College as an extension of the traditional K-12 system in the Van Dyke...

 until 1968.

In 1972, Sanborn became a probate judge in Mount Clemens, and then in 1978 was promoted to circuit judge for Michigan's 16th Circuit Court.

Retirement

Sanborn served as circuit judge until 1990, when he retired and became a visiting judge for Macomb County.

Ken and Lois Sanborn have a vacation home in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 and often spend months at a time there, but their main residence is still in Macomb County. They have 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Sanborn's role in the Radulovich trial is highlighted in the book, To Strike at a King. It is also commemorated as a "Michigan Legal Milestone" in a plaque erected by the State Bar of Michigan

State Bar of Michigan

The State Bar of Michigan is an organization of lawyers in the State of Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in the state of Michigan...

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