Dee Benson

Dee Vance Benson (August 25, 1948 – November 30, 2020) was an American jurist who served as district judge and chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Utah. He was briefly a professional soccer player. He was nominated as judge by President George H. W. Bush on May 16, 1991, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 12, 1991, receiving his commission on September 16, 1991. In May 2004, Chief Justice William Rehnquist appointed Judge Benson to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for a seven-year term.

Benson was born in Sandy, Utah and graduated from Jordan High School. In 1973, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University (BYU) and a Juris Doctor as a member of the charter class of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU in 1976. That year he also played professional soccer with the Utah Golden Spikers of the American Soccer League.

From 1976 to 1984, Benson practiced law in private practice. He was a Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution from 1984 to 1986. He was a Chief of staff, U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch from 1986 to 1988. He was a Counsel, Iran-Contra Congressional Investigating Committee in 1987. He was an Associate deputy U.S. attorney general from 1988 to 1989. He was a U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah from 1989 to 1991.

Benson was a federal judge to the United States District Court for the District of Utah. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush on May 16, 1991, to a new seat created by 104 Stat. 5089. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 12, 1991, and received his commission on September 16, 1991. He served as chief judge of the district from 1999 until 2006. He took senior status on January 1, 2014 and died of brain cancer in 2020, at his home, in Sandy, Utah.