Michael Noland (born December 5, 1960) is a former Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 22nd District from 2007 to 2017. In November 2018, he was elected Kane County Circuit Court Judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit of Illinois. Noland earned his bachelor's degree and M.B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his J.D. degree from John Marshall Law School. He served as a Navy Corpsman while on active duty at the Great Lakes Naval Hospital and in the Reserves with the United States Marine Corps. He resides in Elgin with his wife Veronica and their two children. Early life Although raised in various places around the United States, Mike has called Elgin home for 38 years. He started shining shoes at the age of eight, and had to work odd jobs all throughout high school to help his family with expenses. After graduating from Elgin High School in 1978, Noland worked as a security guard while taking classes at night at Elgin Community College. In 1984, he enlisted in the United States Navy as an E-3 (Seaman) and graduated from Hospital Corps School in 1985. Noland then went to Camp Pendleton where he went through Marine Corps training and served as a Corpsman, attached to NTC Great Lakes, until he got out in 1993. His unit was on call for the First Persian Gulf War but was never deployed. Noland attended school at the University of Illinois-Chicago where he earned a B.A. in 1991. Seeking to continue his education, he pursued an Juris Doctor degree at John Marshall Law School while driving a limousine at night to help pay for school. He earned his J.D. in 1996. He also earned his M.B.A. at the University of Illinois-Chicago in 2001. Noland has worked as a public defender and an attorney in private practice, representing hundreds of clients, many of them pro-bono. Early races In 2002, Noland ran for the Illinois House of Representatives. However, he lost the November general election to Republican Douglas Hoeft, 7,153 to Hoeft's 10,199. Despite the loss, Noland tried again for the Illinois House, this time challenging Republican Ruth Munson. The General Election results ended up being so close as to create demand, from a third party, for a recount. As the election results were recounted, Munson's lead narrowed. When the results were counted, Noland's margin of defeat was only 387 votes.