Benson v. Johnston
- Jerry Blackwell
- 0:26-cv-01421
- U.S. District Court · District of Minnesota
- 2
In Benson v. Johnston, Judge Blackwell overruled Benson’s objections, accepted the recommendation, and denied his petition.
The ruling directly affects Michael Benson’s petition and Nancy Johnston as the respondent. It leaves the recommendation accepted in full and denies Benson’s petition.
What happened
Michael Benson v. Nancy Johnston, Executive Officer of MSOP, concerns Benson’s challenge to a magistrate judge’s recommendation about his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Benson represented himself, and Johnston was represented by counsel.
Magistrate Judge Dolce J. Foster issued the recommendation on February 20, 2026. Benson objected on time, but the district court found that his objections did not identify a legal or factual error. The order does not explain the underlying basis for the recommendation.
Judge Jerry W. Blackwell overruled Benson’s objections, accepted the recommendation in full, denied Benson’s petition, and ordered judgment to be entered.
The detailed version
- Benson v. Johnston · No. 0:26-cv-01421
- Jerry W. Blackwell
- Apr. 28, 2026
Background
Magistrate Judge Dolce J. Foster issued a Report and Recommendation (R&R) on February 20, 2026. Michael Benson, who represented himself, filed a timely objection. Nancy Johnston was represented by counsel from the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General.
Court’s Review
The district court explained that it would review the portions of the R&R challenged by Benson independently and review any unchallenged portions for clear error. Because Benson represented himself, the court gave his objections a liberal reading. The court concluded that Benson’s objections did not identify an error of law or fact warranting rejection of the R&R. After reviewing the remaining portions, the court found no clear error or conflict with the law.
Ruling
Judge Jerry W. Blackwell accepted the R&R in its entirety, overruled Benson’s objections, and denied Benson’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The court ordered judgment to be entered. This order does not state the underlying reasons why the petition was denied, so the basis for the denial cannot be determined from this opinion alone.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.