The Honourable Michael Battista LL.B. (Federal Court of Canada) was appointed to the Federal Court of Canada in April, 2024.
Prior to his appointment, Justice Battista practiced immigration and refugee law exclusively and was certified as a Specialist in Citizenship and Immigration law (Immigration and Refugee Protection) by the Law Society of Ontario. His legal practice involved representation of clients in all areas of immigration and refugee law with a particular focus on immigration issues for the LGBTQ community, academics, and inadmissibility. Justice Battista is the co-author of two legal textbooks: Family Class Sponsorships in Canadian Immigration Law (2021, Emond) Canadian Family and Immigration Law: Intersections, Developments, and Conflicts (2015, Carswell) and he contributed a chapter on LGBTQ2+ Immigration Issues in LGBTQ2 Law, Practice Issues and Analysis (2020, Emond).
Justice Battista has been adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law since 2003 and also teaches migration policy at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, where he was awarded the inaugural Teaching Innovation Award in 2018. He served as an executive member of the Ontario Bar Association’s immigration section and as Litigation Coordinator for the Canadian Bar Association’s Immigration Section, receiving the section’s Volunteer Appreciation Award in 2019.
Justice Battista acted as counsel for interveners such as Amnesty International, EGALE Canada, and Rainbow Railroad in litigation at the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Justice Battista served as Chair of Board of the AIDS Committee of Toronto, and is the Founding Chair of Rainbow Railroad, an LGBTQ refugee support organization. He was awarded membership in the Ontario AIDS Network Honor Roll in recognition of his work on issues related to HIV and immigration. He is also a recipient of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto’s Community Service Award and the Rainbow Railroad Freedom Award.
