Megan Blair Benton
How Judge Benton rules, drawn from 10 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Benton
Megan Blair Benton is a judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Appointed by President Donald J. Trump, Judge Benton received a commission on February 10, 2026.
Judge Benton's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Benton, as published on the court's website (checked October 9, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Trial
File motions in limine at least ten days before the pretrial conference and responses at least three days before it.
“Motions in limine shall be filed at least 10 days before the pretrial conference. Any responses shall be filed at least 3 days before the pretrial conference”
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 9, 2026).
How Judge Benton decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Procedural preferences
In Welch, she denied two postjudgment motions after concluding that Rule 60(b) could not reopen a case simply to relitigate its merits after appellate affirmance.
“cannot reargue the merits of her case on a Rule 60(b) motion.”
In Alavidze, she denied emergency relief against removal or transfer after finding neither likely success on the habeas claim nor a supported risk of imminent harm.
“Because Petitioner has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits or irreparable harm,”
Cautions
In United States v. Mitchell, she denied a criminal defendant’s motion to suppress after de novo review of the magistrate judge’s report and recommendation.
“It is further ORDERED that Defendant's motion to suppress evidence (Doc. 18) is DENIED for the reasons set forth in the Report and Recommendation.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“It is further ORDERED that Defendant's motion to suppress evidence (Doc. 18) is DENIED for the reasons set forth in the Report and Recommendation.”
“It is further ORDERED that Defendant’s motion to dismiss (Doc. 65) is DENIED for the reasons set forth in the Report and Recommendation.”
“The Court DENIES Petitioner’s Emergency Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order and a Preliminary Injunction.”
“The Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus is DENIED. Petitioner has not demonstrated he is entitled to the relief sought.”
“Defendant’s motion to dismiss (Doc. 52) is DENIED for the reasons set forth in the Report and Recommendation.”
“Defendant’s motion to suppress evidence (Doc. 53) is DENIED for the reasons set forth in the Report and Recommendation.”
“Because consolidation and appointment of interim co-lead and liaison counsel will promote efficiency and will not prejudice any party, the Motion is GRANTED.”
“ORDERED that Defendant Verizon Communications, Inc.’s motions for extension of time to file an answer in Case No. 6:26-cv-03218-MBB (Doc. 10), Case No. 6:26-cv-03219-MBB (Doc. 14), and Case No. 6:26-cv-03224-MBB (Doc. 5) are DENIED as MOOT.”
“The Court DENIES both motions. (Docs. 191, 201).”
“The Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus is DENIED.”
“The Motion for a TRO and a Preliminary Injunction is DENIED.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 22 days (N = 15).
Median motion-to-ruling time: 18 days (N = 26).
Because Benton joined the court in February 2026, most of her cases remain pending. The sampled docket is dominated by alien-detainee habeas petitions, with a growing mix of civil-rights, contract, diversity, prisoner, and criminal matters.
Pending matters in the official report
Reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Civil Justice Reform Act, as of March 31, 2026.
| Motions pending more than six months | 0 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 0 |
A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.
How long civil cases take in this court
For the whole of United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, not for Judge Benton: median time from filing to disposition of the civil cases the court closed in the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, as reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
| Cases | Median time | |
|---|---|---|
| All civil cases closed | 1,429 | 6.7 months |
| Closed with no court action | 520 | 5.7 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 876 | 7.2 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 19 | 49.3 months |
| Closed during trial | 14 | 22.7 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 1,429 | 6.7 months |
| Sep 2024 | 1,461 | 6.9 months |
| Sep 2023 | 1,502 | 6.2 months |
| Sep 2022 | 1,738 | 7.3 months |
| Sep 2021 | 1,341 | 8.2 months |
| Sep 2020 | 1,312 | 6.9 months |
| Sep 2019 | 1,485 | 7 months |
The table leaves out prisoner petitions, land condemnations, deportation reviews, recovery of overpayments and enforcement of judgments, and reports no median for fewer than 10 cases. A district that closed a large multidistrict litigation in the period shows very large counts and long medians for that year. Source: Table C-5, U.S. District Courts (spreadsheet).
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