{{Short description|American judge}} {{For|the Scottish divine|Richard Baty}}<!--Pourriture as Richard Battey redirects here--> {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Richard Battey | honorific_suffix = | image = Richard_Howard_Battey.jpg | alt = | caption = | office = Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota | term_start = January 1, 1999 | term_end = May 6, 2017 | office1 = Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota | term_start1 = 1994 | term_end1 = 1998 | predecessor1 = John Bailey Jones | successor1 = Lawrence L. Piersol | office2 = Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota | term_start2 = October 28, 1985 | term_end2 = January 1, 1999 | nominator2 = | appointer2 = Ronald Reagan | predecessor2 = Andrew Wendell Bogue | successor2 = Karen Schreier | pronunciation = | birth_name = Richard Howard Battey | birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|10|16}} | birth_place = Aberdeen, South Dakota | death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|05|06|1929|10|16}} | death_place = Alexandria, Minnesota | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | citizenship = | party = | other_party = | height = | spouse = | partner = | relations = | children = | parents = | mother = | father = | relatives = | education = University of South Dakota<br>University of South Dakota School of Law (J.D.) | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = | known_for = | salary = | net_worth = | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | awards = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = <!--Embedded templates / Footnotes--> | footnotes = }}

'''Richard Howard Battey''' (October 16, 1929 – May 6, 2017) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota.

==Education and career==

Battey was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota. After attending the University of South Dakota in 1950, he received a Juris Doctor from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 1953. After serving as a United States Army lieutenant from 1953 to 1955, he went into private practice in Redfield, South Dakota, from 1955 to 1985.<ref name="fjc.gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/battey-richard-howard|title=Battey, Richard Howard - Federal Judicial Center|website=www.fjc.gov}}</ref>

==Federal judicial service==

Battey was nominated to be a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota by Ronald Reagan on September 27, 1985. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 25, 1985, and received his commission on October 28, 1985. He served as chief judge from 1994 to 1998. He assumed senior status on January 1, 1999, serving in that status until his death.<ref name="fjc.gov"/>

==='Sue' dinosaur fossil dispute=== Battey is known for being the presiding judge in the dispute over the recovery fossil remains on federal lands including by the Sue discoverer Peter Larson and Black Hills Institute of Geological Research paleontologists. Following a trial on charges unrelated to the "Sue" ''T. rex'' find,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kjærgaard|first1=Peter C.|title=The Fossil Trade: Paying a Price for Human Origins|journal=Isis|date=June 2012|volume= 103| issue = 2|pages=340–355|doi=10.1086/666365 |jstor=10.1086/666365|pmid=22908426 }}</ref> Larson was convicted of two felonies and two misdemeanors,<ref name=Browne1996>{{cite news|last=Browne|first=Malcolm|title=Fossil Dealer, Target of Federal Prosecutors, Begins Jail Term|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/22/us/fossil-dealer-target-of-federal-prosecutors-begins-jail-term.html|accessdate=18 April 2014|newspaper=New York Times|date=February 22, 1996}}</ref> charges which some considered politically motivated.<ref name=Browne1992>{{cite news|title=A Dinosaur Named Sue Divides Fossil Hunters|last=Browne|first=Malcolm W.|newspaper=New York Times|date=July 21, 1992|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/21/science/a-dinosaur-named-sue-divides-fossil-hunters.html?src=pm&pagewanted=2&pagewanted=all}}</ref> Battey sentenced Larson to two years in federal prison. In 2015, South Dakota lawmakers petitioned Barack Obama for a formal full pardon of Larson.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Associated Press|title=Panel calls for pardon of famous paleontologist credited in discovery of 'Sue' the T. rex|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/chi-peter-larson-pardon-20150305-story.html|website=Chicago Tribune|date=5 March 2015 }}</ref> Battey is portrayed in a negative light for his handling of Sue Dinosaur Case in the Sundance Film Festival Documentary ''Dinosaur 13''.

===Notable law clerks===

Among Battey's notable judicial law clerks were David Lust and Marty Jackley.

==Death==

Richard Battey died in Alexandria, Minnesota, on May 6, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rapidcityjournal.com/obits/battey-judge-richard/article_80d1c373-53c0-58d7-972d-3931ea7a820a.html|title=Battey, Judge Richard|date=9 May 2017 |publisher=}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Sources== * {{FJC Bio|117|nid=1377551|name=Richard Howard Battey<!--(1929–2017)-->}}

{{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{s-bef|before=Andrew Wendell Bogue}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota}}|years=1985–1999}} {{s-aft|after=Karen Schreier}} {{s-bef|before=John Bailey Jones}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota}}|years=1994–1998}} {{s-aft|after=Lawrence L. Piersol}} {{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battey, Richard}} Category:1929 births Category:2017 deaths Category:University of South Dakota alumni Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota Category:United States district court judges appointed by Ronald Reagan Category:United States Army officers Category:People from Aberdeen, South Dakota Category:People from Redfield, South Dakota Category:People from Alexandria, Minnesota Category:University of South Dakota School of Law alumni