Kimberly Gardner facts for kids

Kimberly M. Gardner (born August 2, 1975) is an American politician and lawyer from Missouri. She served as the top prosecutor, called the circuit attorney, for the city of St. Louis. Before this, she was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, which is part of the state's government.

In February 2023, the Missouri Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, asked Gardner to step down from her role. This request came after an incident in July 2022. A person accused of a serious crime from 2020 was ready for trial. However, Gardner's office was not prepared. Her staff had to drop the charges and then refile them on the same day.

After this event, several city council members also asked Gardner to resign. The Mayor of St. Louis, Tishaura Jones, said that Gardner needed to think about whether she wanted to continue. The Mayor felt Gardner had "lost the trust of the people."

On May 4, 2023, Kim Gardner officially announced her resignation as Circuit Attorney. She initially said she would leave office on June 1. However, she ended up stepping down earlier, on May 16, 2023.

Early Life and Education

Kim Gardner was born in 1975 and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Her family owned and operated a funeral home in North St. Louis, where she also helped out.

She went to Harris–Stowe State University. In 1999, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in healthcare administration. Later, she studied law at the Saint Louis University School of Law. She received her law degree (Juris Doctor) in 2003. In 2012, she also earned a Master of Science degree in nursing from Saint Louis University.

Career Journey

Before Public Office

Before becoming a public official, Gardner worked as a lawyer. She was part of a law firm called Bell, Kirksey & Associates. She also gained experience as an assistant prosecutor. This was at the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office from 2005 to 2010.

State Representative

From 2013 to 2017, Gardner served as a Missouri State Representative. She represented District 77. In this role, she helped make laws for the state.

Becoming Circuit Attorney

Kim Gardner took office as the Circuit Attorney on January 6, 2017. She made history as the first African-American person to lead the Circuit Attorney's Office. This office is responsible for prosecuting crimes in the city.

In 2019, the St. Louis police brought 7,045 serious crime cases to her office. However, only 1,641 of these cases were prosecuted. Many were sent back to the police. Gardner's office often said there wasn't enough evidence. The police union, however, claimed they had enough proof for prosecution.

Gardner's office continued a high-profile case involving former police officer Jason Stockley. This case was about a shooting incident. The previous Circuit Attorney had started the case. When the judge found Stockley not guilty, it led to big protests in St. Louis in 2017.

As Circuit Attorney, Gardner worked to change the system for cash bonds. These are payments people make to get out of jail before their trial. She removed or lowered the amount of cash needed for minor, nonviolent crimes. Her office also partnered with the Midwest Innocence Project. They worked together on cases where people might have been wrongly convicted.

Staffing Challenges

The Circuit Attorney's Office faced significant staff changes under Gardner. More than 100% of the staff left their jobs since she took office. A local newspaper, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, reported on this in September 2019. They noted that over 65 lawyers had left. These lawyers had a combined experience of over 460 years in prosecuting cases.

Grand Jury Process

Kim Gardner's office used a specific legal process called the grand jury. This method sometimes caused delays for preliminary hearings. A preliminary hearing is an early court step to see if there's enough evidence for a trial. As of March 2021, the average wait time was 344 days.

The Missouri Supreme Court changed rules to speed up these hearings. Starting March 1, 2021, preliminary hearings were supposed to happen faster. If a person was in jail, it should be within 30 days. If not, within 60 days. However, Gardner's office continued using the grand jury process. This approach sometimes bypassed the Supreme Court's new rules.

Election History

2016 Campaign

In 2016, Kim Gardner ran for Circuit Attorney. She competed against three other candidates in the Democratic primary election. The previous Circuit Attorney, Jennifer Joyce, was retiring. Gardner's campaign focused on making the criminal justice system better. She wanted to build trust and reduce violent crime.

She also promised to make the office more diverse. She aimed for independent investigations when police used force. Gardner also wanted to reduce differences in how different racial groups were treated. She also supported stronger gun control. Her campaign received money from groups called 'Super PACs'. These groups are funded by various donors, including billionaire George Soros.

2020 Campaign

On August 4, 2020, Gardner won the Democratic primary election again. She ran against Mary Pat Carl, who was also her main opponent in 2016. Gardner received 60.9% of the votes.

In the general election in November, Gardner won with 74.01% of the vote. She defeated the Republican candidate, Daniel Zdrodowski.