Frank J. Battisti
| Frank J. Battisti | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio | |
|
In office 1969–1990 |
|
| Preceded by | Girard Edward Kalbfleisch |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Demetrios Lambros |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio | |
|
In office September 22, 1961 – April 1, 1994 |
|
| Appointed by | John F. Kennedy |
| Preceded by | new seat |
| Succeeded by | Peter C. Economus |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 4, 1922 Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | October 19, 1994 (aged 72) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Resting place | Calvary Cemetery |
| Spouse(s) | Gloria Joy Karpinsky |
| Alma mater |
Ohio State University College of Law Harvard Law School |
Frank Joseph Battisti (October 4, 1922 – October 19, 1994) was an American jurist who served as the 21st district judge for the Northern District of Ohio, between 1961 and 1990. He spent 22 of his 31 years on the District Court as chief judge, replacing Judge Girard E. Kalbfleisch on August 4, 1969.
Judge Battisti's career featured groundbreaking—and sometimes controversial—rulings, notably his finding in 1976 that the Cleveland public school system was guilty of racial segregation. Two years earlier, in 1974, he dismissed a case against eight members of the Ohio Army National Guard accused of violating the civil rights of four Kent State University students who were shot dead in 1970. In the 1980s, he presided over a high-profile case involving Cleveland autoworker John Demjanjuk, who was deported amid charges that he committed war crimes in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe.
During his decades as a jurist, Judge Battisti was honored by various professional and civic organizations, but he was also a target of criticism.
He was born to Italian immigrant parents Eugene and Jennie (Dalesandro) Battisti, in the Hazelton district of Youngstown, Ohio, a steel-production center near the Pennsylvania border. After graduating from Youngstown's East High School, Battisti served as an army combat engineer in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was later commissioned as an officer in military intelligence. Upon his return from Europe, he studied law at Ohio State University and Harvard Law School.
...
Wikipedia