| Richard Battey | |
| 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 |
| Appointer2: | Ronald Reagan |
| Predecessor2: | Andrew Wendell Bogue |
| Successor2: | Karen Schreier |
| Birth Name: | Richard Howard Battey |
| Birth Date: | 16 October 1929 |
| Birth Place: | Aberdeen, South Dakota |
| Death Place: | Alexandria, Minnesota |
| Education: | University of South Dakota University of South Dakota School of Law (J.D.) |
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.
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.[1]
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.[1]
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,[2] Larson was convicted of two felonies and two misdemeanors,[3] charges which some considered politically motivated.[4] Battey sentenced Larson to two years in federal prison. In 2015, South Dakota lawmakers petitioned Barack Obama for a formal full pardon of Larson.[5] Battey is righfully portrayed in a negative light for his handling of Sue Dinosaur Case in the Sundance Film Festival Documentary Dinosaur 13.
Among Battey's notable judicial law clerks were David Lust and Marty Jackley.
Richard Battey died in Alexandria, Minnesota, on May 6, 2017.[6]