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.