--- title: "Megan Blair Benton | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-blair-benton" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Megan Blair Benton U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri - State: Missouri - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Megan Blair Benton, born in 1985 in Columbia, Missouri, is an American lawyer and judge who currently serves on the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri - Judge, Circuit Court of Missouri, Sixth Judicial Circuit, 2021-2026; associate circuit judge, 2021-2023; circuit judge, 2023-2026 - Appointed by Missouri Governor Mike Parson to the 6th Judicial Circuit of Missouri, covering Platte County, first as an Associate Circuit Judge (2021–2023) and then as a Circuit Judge (2023–2026) - On November 14, 2025, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Benton to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, filling the seat vacated by Judge M. Douglas Harpool - Assistant prosecuting attorney, Platte County, Missouri, 2014-2017, 2019-2021 - Benton held the role of an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office from 2014 to 2017 and again from 2019 to 2021 - Law clerk, Hon. Ralph W. Dau and Hon. Barbara M. Scheper, Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, 2011-2012 - Began her legal career as a summer law clerk at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP and later clerked for Judges Ralph W. Dau and Barbara M. Scheper at the Los Angeles County Superior Court ### Education - Vanderbilt University Law School in — J.D. (2010) - Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in political science from Emory University in 2007 ### Additional information - Private practice, Kansas City, Missouri, 2012-2014 - Date of birth: 1985 - During her tenure, she also held leadership roles in local political organizations, including serving as Chairwoman of the Platte County Republican Central Committee ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### media equipment advance approval Scope: statewide Missouri Court Operating Rule 16 requires advance approval for media equipment used for courtroom coverage and allows the judge to control the number and setup of media personnel and equipment. Evidence excerpt: Failure to obtain advance approval for equipment may preclude its use in the proceeding. [Missouri Court Operating Rule 16.04, Technical](https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=354) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### device use in courtroom Scope: statewide Missouri courtroom device use for media coverage is not generally permitted unless authorized by the operating rule, a local court rule, or the judge presiding in the proceeding. Evidence excerpt: No person may use any device capable of media coverage in a courtroom or court clerk's office unless specifically authorized [Missouri Court Operating Rule 16.04, Technical](https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=354) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### audio video recording Scope: statewide Missouri allows limited video and audio recording for media coverage under COR 16 technical limits, subject to judicial approval and courtroom controls. Evidence excerpt: Not more than one videographer, using a single device, shall be permitted in the courtroom during a judicial proceeding at any time. [Missouri Court Operating Rule 16.04, Technical](https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=354) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762107) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762107) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762107) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Judge Megan Blair Benton](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762107) - [Wikidata: Megan Benton](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138040727) - [Official Manual, State of Missouri 2025-2026: Judicial Branch](https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/bluebook/2025-2026/5_Judicial.pdf) - [Governor Kehoe Announces Appointment to 6th Judicial Circuit](https://governor.mo.gov/press-releases/archive/governor-kehoe-announces-appointment-6th-judicial-circuit) - [Judges](https://www.mow.uscourts.gov/district/judges) - [U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Missouri: Succession Charts](https://www.fjc.gov/history/courts/us-district-courts-districts-missouri-succession-charts) - [Missouri Secretary of State Official Manual official judicial roster](https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/bluebook/2025-2026/5_Judicial.pdf) - [Missouri Court Operating Rule 16.04, Technical](https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=354) - [Judge Megan Blair Benton](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762107) - [Wikidata: Megan Benton](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138040727) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-blair-benton", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-blair-benton", "name": "Megan Blair Benton | KnowJudges", "description": "Megan Blair Benton, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-blair-benton#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-blair-benton#judge", "name": "Megan Blair Benton", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-blair-benton", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762107" ], "birthDate": "1985", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Emory University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Vanderbilt University Law School" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Missouri", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/missouri" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Megan Blair Benton", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-blair-benton" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 81 | 6 | Not available | 6 | | 2y | 81 | 6 | Not available | 6 | | 5y | 81 | 6 | Not available | 6 | | 10y | 81 | 6 | Not available | 6 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.