Paul Benson
Appointed by President Richard M. Nixon in 1971 and confirmed by voice vote, Paul Benson was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota. He earned a law degree from George Washington University Law School in 1949. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1918–2004
- Appointed by
- Richard M. Nixon, 1971
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of North Dakota 1942 · George Washington Law School 1949
- Succeeded
- Ronald Norwood Davies
- Succeeded by
- Rodney Scott Webb
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | District of North Dakota succeeded Ronald Norwood Davies | Nixon (R) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| University of North Dakota | B.S. | 1942 |
| George Washington University Law School | LL.B. | 1949 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Benson was assigned 123 district-court cases (1986–1997). Median time from filing to termination: 454 days across 123 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
In our data, Benson authored 114 published opinions for the court (1972–1995). Most cited: Rolette County v. Western Casualty & Surety Co. (50 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Rolette County v. Western Casualty & Surety Co. | 452 F. Supp. 125 | 50 |
| 1981 | United States v. Langer (In Re Langer) | 12 B.R. 957 | 31 |
| 1980 | Ogilvie v. STATE BD. OF EQUALIZATION, ETC. | 492 F. Supp. 446 | 30 |
| 1980 | Leigh v. Olson | 497 F. Supp. 1340 | 27 |
| 1983 | Martinson v. First National Bank of Oakes (In Re Martinson) | 26 B.R. 648 | 24 |
| 1981 | Walter v. KFGO Radio | 518 F. Supp. 1309 | 23 |
| 1972 | United States v. Central Livestock Association, Inc. | 349 F. Supp. 1033 | 17 |
| 1992 | Veil v. Vitek, Inc. | 803 F. Supp. 229 | 16 |
| 1983 | Black's Inc. v. Decker (In Re Decker) | 36 B.R. 452 | 16 |
| 1980 | Garnas v. American Farm Equipment Co. | 502 F. Supp. 349 | 15 |
| 1977 | Remmick v. Barnes County | 435 F. Supp. 914 | 15 |
| 1980 | Ring v. Grand Forks Public School District No. 1 | 483 F. Supp. 272 | 14 |
| 1979 | Keller v. Clark Equipment Co. | 474 F. Supp. 966 | 14 |
| 1984 | United States v. Warner | 595 F. Supp. 595 | 13 |
| 1978 | Teamsters Local Union No. 116 v. Fargo-Moorhead Automobile Dealers Ass'n | 459 F. Supp. 558 | 13 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 114 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Paul Benson?
- President Richard M. Nixon appointed Paul Benson to the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota in 1971.
- Was Paul Benson appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Paul Benson was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Paul Benson's confirmation vote?
- Paul Benson was confirmed by voice vote on July 29, 1971. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Paul Benson on?
- Paul Benson was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: Administrative Office of the United States Courts (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
32 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).