Circuit Attorney

Republican Scott Fitzpatrick said his staff has tried to contact Gardner for months, but "it appears she has willfully evaded our many efforts to obtain information that only she can provide."

Gabriel Gore was sworn in as the new circuit attorney on Tuesday with the task of stabilizing a severely understaffed office.

Gov. Mike Parson appointed Gabriel Gore to be circuit attorney on May 19 to replace Kim Gardner.

Gore is an attorney with prominent St. Louis law firm Dowd Bennett. He was also a member of the Ferguson Commission.

Facing a move by the Missouri attorney general to oust her, a contempt of court charge and increasing public and legislative pressure, Gardner announced Thursday that she will resign effective June 1.

St. Louis activists are demanding that judges and prosecutors rely on pretrial methods that don’t call for incarceration.

Judge Scott Millikan of the 22nd Circuit said the hearing was an attempt to bring order to the circuit. The prosecutor’s office has been plagued by recent staff turnover, with reports saying there are fewer than five attorneys handling serious felony cases.

What’s next for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner? Has attorney Al Watkins played himself into a lawsuit? The Legal Roundtable tackles those cases and more.

A tragedy took a teen’s legs in St. Louis. Could it end Kim Gardner’s career?

Under the legislation, the governor would be able to appoint a special prosecutor for a period of up to five years in jurisdictions where homicide cases exceed a certain rate. Currently, only St. Louis falls under that requirement.