St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner faces a list of imposing deadlines this week as she fights an effort by Missouri’s Attorney General to remove her from office.
Monday is the deadline for Gardner to file her formal response, or “pleading” with Judge John Torbitzky. Failure to do so forfeits the case, according to the judge.
Then Tuesday at 9 a.m., Gardner is scheduled for a deposition under oath with questions from the Attorney General’s office about her job performance.
The pressure continues on Thursday, as Gardner faces a deadline to answer a 34-point subpoena from the Attorney General. She’ll be questioned on how often police sought to charge someone and she either refused, or put the case on the back burner “under advisement.” She’ll also have to reveal documents showing complaints against her office from victims, and produce timesheets for her staff.
Former Missouri Supreme Court Justice Mike Wolff tells KMOX that Gardner is in a worse spot than she was last year, when she faced a disciplinary panel for her handling of the Greitens case. Asked if she could get out of this tight spot, Wolff said, “Boy, I sure don’t know.”
He said it all depends on the evidence, and if the Attorney General is able to prove his claim of criminal, willful neglect.
“It’s not an easy case for the Attorney General because, if you've got 20, 30, 40 attorneys and somebody shows up and isn't ready for trial — an assistant — is that Kim Gardner’s fault?” he asks.
Either way, he said, he predicts that the effort to remove Gardner from office will be racially divisive for St. Louis.
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