Born in Augsburg, Germany, and later educated in the Taipei American School, Monica J. Benton gained an international perspective of American values and culture at an early age. As the adopted daughter of U.S. Army Captain , Judge Benton became a naturalized U.S. citizen in the federal Courthouse in Tacoma, Washington where Judge George Boldt served as Chief U.S. District Judge. Interestingly, forty years later she was appointed U.S. Magistrate Judge to the same court where she was naturalized. In 2008 Judge Benton was appointed to the King County Superior Court bench to a four year term by Governor Christine Gregoire.
In the King County Superior Court, a court of general jurisdiction, Judge Benton presides over civil, criminal and family law matters and continually relies upon her federal court experience in settlement of admiralty injury complaints, statutory violations of immigration laws, appeals of Social Security administrative decisions, as well as, state and federal prisoners’ habeas corpus petitions. Having this dual court or cross-over court experience gives Judge Benton a diversified perspective and a humanitarian approach to legal problem solving.
Finally, Judge Benton has received awards such as Woman of the Year 2004) from the Seattle University School of Law, Vanguard Award from the Washington Women Lawyers (2007) and Lifetime Achievement Award from the Loren Miller Bar Association (2008).
