Frank J. Battisti
Frank J. Battisti | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio | |
| In office April 1, 1994 – October 19, 1994 | |
| 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 | Seat established by 75 Stat. 80 |
| Succeeded by | Peter C. Economus |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Frank Joseph Battisti October 4, 1922 Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | October 19, 1994 (aged 72) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Resting place | Calvary Cemetery Cleveland, Ohio |
| Education | Ohio University (A.B.) Harvard Law School (J.D.) |
Frank Joseph Battisti (October 4, 1922 – October 19, 1994) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. 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, Battisti was honored by various professional and civic organizations, but he was also a target of criticism.