His daughter, Juliet Sorensen, is an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago.
His wife, Gillian Sorensen, is a member of the United Nations Foundation.
On February 25, 2010, he received the National Humanities Medal for 2009.
Graduated from Lincoln High School in 1945. Earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and attended law school at the same university, graduating first in his class.