Marianne Olga Battani (May 18, 1944 – September 9, 2021)[2] was an American jurist who served as United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Education and career
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Battani received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Detroit in 1966 and a Juris Doctor from Detroit College of Law in 1972. She was in private practice from 1972 to 1981. She was a judge on the Common Pleas Court of the City of Detroit in 1981, and a judge on that city's 36th District Court from 1981 to 1982. She was then a judge on the Wayne County Circuit Court until 2000.[3]
Federal judicial service
On August 5, 1999, Battani was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan vacated by Anna Diggs Taylor. Battani was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 24, 2000, and received her commission on June 2, 2000. She assumed senior status on June 9, 2012.[3]
In June 2020, she recused herself from numerous cases she was hearing due to cancer and took a leave of absence from the court.[4] She assumed inactive senior status on December 31, 2020, meaning that while she remained a federal judge, she no longer heard cases or participated in the business of the court.[5][6] She died on September 9, 2021, from cancer at her home in Beverly Hills, Michigan.[2][3]
Notable cases
Battani sentenced Alan Ralsky to more than four years in prison in November 2009 for crimes relating to his stock pump and dump spam activities.[7]
Battani sentenced Rene Boucher, a former anesthesiologist, to 30 days' jail time, a fine, and one year probation, for physically attacking his neighbor, sitting United States Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky). The attack left Senator Paul with multiple fractured ribs and he contracted pneumonia. Prosecutors had sought a 21-month sentence. Battani ruled the attack had nothing to do with politics and was an "isolated incident".[8] That sentence was vacated on appeal to the Sixth Circuit for being "substantively unreasonable" and Boucher was remanded for re-sentencing on September 9, 2019. He was re-sentenced to an additional eight months of prison time and six months' home confinement.[9][10]
References
- ^ Confirmation hearings on federal appointments: hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Sixth Congress, first session, on confirmation of appointees to the federal judiciary.
- ^ a b Baldas, Tresa. "Retired federal judge Marianne Battani dies after long illness: 'We have lost a gem'". Detroit Free Press.
- ^ a b c Marianne Battani at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Dale, Emma. "Detroit federal Judge Marianne O. Battani stepping back from role due to cancer". Detroit Free Press.
- ^ "Judge retires after 40 years on local and federal benches". SFChronicle.com. January 4, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. District Judge Marianne O. Battani Stepping Down After 40 Years of Judicial Service" (PDF).
- ^ Yousuf, Hibah (November 30, 2009). "'Godfather of Spam' going to prison". CNN. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ "Rand Paul's attacker sentenced to 30 days in prison and receives a 10,000fine". Business Insider. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ "Appeals court orders resentencing for Rand Paul attacker". www.cbsnews.com.
- ^ Story, Justin. "New sentence for Boucher: 8 months behind bars, 6 months home confinement". Bowling Green Daily News.
External links
- Marianne Battani at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
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