Kimberly Gardner facts for kids

Kimberly M. Gardner (born 1975) is an American politician and lawyer from Missouri. She served as the circuit attorney for the city of St. Louis. A circuit attorney is the top lawyer for the city who decides whether to charge people with crimes.

Gardner was the circuit attorney from 2017 to 2023. Before that, she was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives.

In early 2023, Gardner faced calls to step down from her job. This happened after a serious incident involving a suspect who had broken his house arrest rules many times. The Missouri Attorney General and other city leaders asked her to resign. The mayor of St. Louis, Tishaura Jones, said that Gardner had "lost the trust of the people."

Gardner announced she would resign on May 4, 2023. She officially left the office on May 16, 2023.

Early Life and Education

Kim Gardner was born and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Her family owns a funeral home in North St. Louis, where she also worked.

She went to college and earned several degrees. In 1999, she got a degree in healthcare administration from Harris–Stowe State University. Later, she earned a law degree and a master's degree in nursing from Saint Louis University.

Career Journey

Early Work and State Lawmaker

Before becoming the circuit attorney, Gardner worked as a lawyer at a law firm. She also worked as a prosecutor for the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office from 2005 to 2010.

From 2013 to 2017, she was a Missouri State Representative for the 77th district. In this role, she helped create and vote on laws for the state of Missouri.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney

Gardner became the Circuit Attorney on January 6, 2017. She was the first African-American to ever hold this position in St. Louis.

As the city's top prosecutor, she made several changes. She tried to reduce the use of cash bail for smaller, nonviolent crimes. She also expanded programs to help people get treatment instead of going to jail. Her office also worked with groups like the Midwest Innocence Project to look into cases of wrongful conviction.

Staffing Challenges

During her time in office, many lawyers left the Circuit Attorney's Office. A local newspaper reported in 2019 that over 65 lawyers had left since Gardner started. This high turnover rate meant the office often had a shortage of experienced staff.

Court Case Delays

Gardner's office sometimes used a process that led to long delays for hearings. By March 2021, the average wait for a hearing was 344 days. The Missouri Supreme Court made a new rule to speed up this process. The rule said hearings must happen within 30 or 60 days. However, Gardner's office continued to use a method that worked around this new rule.

Election History

2016 Campaign

In 2016, Gardner ran for Circuit Attorney after the previous one, Jennifer Joyce, retired. She promised to reform the justice system and rebuild trust with the community. She also wanted to increase diversity in her office and focus on reducing violent crime.

Gardner won the Democratic primary election with about 47% of the vote.

2020 Campaign

Gardner ran for reelection in 2020. On August 4, she won the Democratic primary again, this time with nearly 61% of the vote.

She went on to win the main election in November with 74% of the vote.