On the recordMarch 7, 2011
I rise to speak in strong support of the nomination of Magistrate Judge Tony Battaglia to be a Federal district judge in the Southern District of California. Judge Battaglia is a highly regarded jurist in the San Diego area. For more than 17 years, he has served as a magistrate judge. He has seen more than 20 cases to verdict or judgment, has managed both individual and large class action suits, and has presided over matters ranging from environmental claims to commercial contract disputes to criminal and civil rights cases. Outside of the courtroom, Judge Battaglia has generously given his time to train and educate other lawyers and judges by, for example, writing extensively in local bar journals and leading instructional workshops and seminars across the country. He has been appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts to represent magistrate judges across the country on the Judicial Conference. He has served as president of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association. And he has been president of the San Diego County Judges Association. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Battaglia was an equally well regarded litigator--first with the law offices of John Marin, then as a sole practitioner, and finally as a partner in the firm of Battaglia, Fitzpatrick, & Battaglia. During almost two decades in private practice, he tried 23 cases to verdict and handled more than 125 arbitrations.
