William Duane Benton

William Duane Benton (born September 8, 1950), known professionally as Duane Benton, is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Education Benton graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972, and received a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1975, where he was Managing Editor of the Yale Law Journal and graduated alongside future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. Benton also has a Master of Business Administration from Memphis State University and a Master of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law. Subsequently, Benton was selected as a Danforth Fellow at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he completed the Senior Executive's Program.

Career Benton served as a captain in the U.S. Navy/Naval Reserve from 1972 to 2002, and as judge advocate in the U.S. Navy from 1975 to 1979. Benton has taught at the University of Missouri School of Law, and at Westminster College in Fulton. He served as an administrative aide to Congressman Wendell Bailey from 1981 to 1982. From 1983 to 1989, Benton practiced law in Jefferson City. Benton was Director of the Missouri Department of Revenue in the administration of Missouri Governor John Ashcroft from 1989 to 1991. Prior to joining the federal bench, Benton served as Associate Justice on the Missouri Supreme Court from 1991 to 2004 and was Chief Justice from 1997 to 1999.

Federal judicial service Benton was nominated by President George W. Bush on February 12, 2004, to a seat vacated by Theodore McMillian and confirmed just over four months later by the United States Senate by a voice vote on June 24, 2004. He received his commission on July 2, 2004.

In 2018, Judge Benton found that Missouri's requirement of a state license to braid hair did not violate the U.S. Constitution.

In October 2025, Benton announced that he would be taking senior status. He assumed senior status on June 21, 2026.

Personal life Benton currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife Sandra and has two children, including Megan.