BATTISTA, MARIA

Meet the Candidate

Running For:
JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT
District:
Statewide
Counties:
CLARION
Political Affiliation:
REP
Phone:
8147970278

Survey

Response Legend

  • AAgree
  • DDisagree
  • −Declined to Respond/Undecided, Position Unknown/Unclear
  • *Comment
  • †Declined to respond, Position based on citation

Question Response Comments/Notes
1. Which of the following U.S. presidents best represents your political philosophy? Ronald Reagan
2. Which one of the recent justices of the U.S. Supreme Court most reflects your judicial philosophy? Scalia
3. Rate your judicial philosophy on a scale of 1-10 with "living document" approach being a "1" and "strict construction" or "originalist" being a "10." 10
4. Please list the five organizations in which you are most involved as a member, through contributions, and/or through volunteering. ** Pennsylvania Bar Association
5. Do you agree with the US Supreme Court’s statement in Dobbs v. Jackson, 597 U.S. ___ (2022), that "[l]ike the infamous decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, Roe [v. Wade] was also egregiously wrong and on a collision course with the Constitution from the day it was decided"? -* I must respectfully decline to answer this question. Rule 2.11(A) of the Pennsylvania Code of Judicial Conduct states that “a judge shall disqualify himself or herself in any proceeding in which the judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” Rule 4.1(A)(10) of the Code of Judicial Conduct also states the following: (A) Except as permitted by Rules 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4, a judge or a judicial candidate shall not: *** (10) make any statement that would reasonably be expected to affect the outcome or impair the fairness of a mater pending in any court; *** As a candidate for Judge of the Superior Court, I must take special care to ensure that any statements I make during my campaign could not reasonably cause my impartiality to be questioned or that would be reasonably expected to affect the outcome of a case. As our next Judge of the Superior Court, I am committed to fairness and to judging each case on its own merits. I do not wish to be in a position that requires recusal from a case, or to have my impartiality questioned.
6. Do you agree with the US Supreme Court’s statement in Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57, 65-66 (2000), and Prince v. Massachusetts, 321 U.S. 158, 166 (1944), that "the custody, care and nurture of the child reside first in the parents, whose primary function and freedom include preparation for obligations the state can neither supply nor hinder"? -* For the reason described in my previous response to question 5, I must respectfully decline to answer this question.