After serving as a United States Army lieutenant from 1953 to 1955, he went into private practice in Redfield, South Dakota, from 1955 to 1985.

[1] Battey is known for being the presiding judge in the dispute over the recovery fossil remains on federal lands including by the Sue discoverer Peter Larson and Black Hills Institute of Geological Research paleontologists.

[4] Battey sentenced Larson to two years in federal prison.

In 2015, South Dakota lawmakers petitioned Barack Obama for a formal full pardon of Larson.

Among Battey's notable judicial law clerks were David Lust and Marty Jackley.