[1] Denison was nominated by President William Howard Taft on January 17, 1910, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan vacated by Judge Loyal Edwin Knappen.

He was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 31, 1910, and received his commission the same day.

His service terminated on October 3, 1911, due to his elevation to the Sixth Circuit.

[1] He was the last appeals court judge who continued to serve in active service appointed by President Taft.

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Denison returned to private practice in Cleveland, Ohio from 1932 to 1942.