The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada has announced today the following judicial appointments under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
Michael Battista, Founding Counsel at Battista Migration Law Group in Toronto, has been appointed as a Judge of the Federal Court. Justice Battista replaces Justice E. Walker, who was elevated to the Federal Court of Appeal on January 26, 2024.
Catharine Moore, Senior General Counsel at the Department of Justice Canada in Ottawa, has been appointed as an associate judge of the Federal Court.
“I wish Justice Battista and Associate Judge Moore every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve Canadians well as members of the Federal Court.” – The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
Justice Michael Battista received his B.A. from the University of Toronto and LL.B. from Queen’s Faculty of Law. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1992 and has been practicing immigration and refugee law exclusively since then. He is certified as a Specialist in Immigration and Refugee law by the Law Society of Ontario.
Justice Battista has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada for interveners Amnesty International, EGALE Canada, and Rainbow Railroad. He co-authored two legal texts: “Canadian Family and Immigration Law: Intersections, Developments, and Conflicts” (2015, Carswell) and “Family Class Sponsorship in Canadian Immigration Law” (2021, Emond). He also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law and at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, where he received the inaugural Teaching Innovation Award in 2018.
In addition to his legal work, Justice Battista has been actively involved in community service. He volunteered on the AIDS Committee of Toronto’s hotline during the AIDS crisis and eventually became Chair of the Board of Directors. He is also the Founding Chair of Rainbow Railroad, an international 2SLGBTQI+ refugee support organization. He has received several awards for his community service, including recognition from the Ontario AIDS Network, the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, and the 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce.
Justice Battista is supported by his husband Keith, a retired City of Toronto firefighter, and their 14-year-old son Dario.
Associate Judge Catharine Moore is originally from a small town northwest of Toronto. She studied at the University of Ottawa and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1994.
Associate Judge Moore spent her career as a civil litigator with the Department of Justice Canada, focusing primarily on class proceedings for the last twenty years. She has been lead litigation counsel on numerous high-profile and sensitive class proceedings against Canada.
In addition to her legal career, Associate Judge Moore has been an active contributor to legal education and mentoring, teaching civil procedure to upper-year law students at the University of Ottawa. She has also been involved in various legal organizations and frequently speaks at continuing legal education events.
Associate Judge Moore is grateful for the support of her partner, Paul Lahaise, and her son, James Baker, as well as her extended family throughout the country.
