Kim Gardner, the far-left St. Louis District Attorney who was backed for her election by anti-American billionaire George Soros, was faced with yet another scolding by a state judge last week who called her office a “rudderless ship of chaos” for its disarray and lack of attention to serious criminal cases.
In fact, Gardner’s office is increasingly dancing closer to contempt of court charges as cases go un-prosecuted because her attorneys continue to miss court dates leaving no one to represent the state in criminal cases.
On Thursday, Missouri judge Michael Noble — appointed in 2015 to the 22nd District Court by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon — blasted Gardner and her office for its ongoing negligence.
Though he didn’t go so far as to charge her with contempt, Noble nonetheless delivered serious criticism after several court dates passed with prosecutors being no-shows, in particular the refusal of Assistant Circuit Attorney Chris Desilets to appear in court at the appointed time.
“It appears that Ms. Gardner has complete indifference and a conscious disregard for the judicial process,” Noble said during a hearing to address the no-shows, Fox News reported.
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“There is sufficient evidence of disdain and disrespect for the judicial process to determine that both Ms. Gardner and Mr. Desilets’ conduct support a finding of indirect criminal contempt. Furthermore, any attorney’s violation of a court’s order constitutes an intentional disobedience and shows a clear intent to disregard the power and authority of the judicial system process.”
“The circuit attorney’s office appears to be a rudderless ship of chaos,” Noble added from the bench. “Kim Gardner is the circuit attorney, and it is her duty to manage the caseload of each staff member. Chris Desilets has approximately 104 felony cases. Any prudent practitioner would expect such a caseload to create countless irreconcilable conflicts. It does not appear she has made any reasonable efforts to prevent the resulting chaos.”
“The circuit attorney’s office appears to be a rudderless ship of chaos. Kim Gardner is the Circuit Attorney, and it is her duty to manage the caseload of each staff member. Chris Desilets has approximately 104 felony cases. Any prudent practitioner would expect such a caseload… pic.twitter.com/tbfMqCbTRc
— FOX2now (@FOX2now) April 27, 2023
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Judge Noble was particularly irked when on Thursday, Gardner was again a no-show in court, but sent an assistant circuit attorney named Rob Huq who was completely unable to answer any of the judge’s questions about the case the DA was supposed to be conducting against suspect Steven Vincent Jr., who was arrested and accused of firing a gun indiscriminately in a St. Louis apartment building, striking an 11-year-old girl who was sitting in her own bedroom.
The case had already missed an April 10 date when Assistant Circuit Attorney Chris Desilets failed to appear in court, and an April 24 rescheduling that Desilets again skipped.
The Vincent criminal case is far from the only one the George Soros-funded, left-wing prosecutor has bungled.
As Noble noted, the DA’s office has sent dozens of cases into chaos with missed court dates, shoddy scheduling, and other missteps. And a growing number of cases have had to be dismissed and charges refiled because the prosecutor’s office completely dropped the ball to prepare for trial.
Noble is not the only judge to slam Gardner, either. Last Monday, Judge Scott Millikan ordered Gardner to supply an explanation for why she should not be found in contempt of court and face a fine or even jail time for failing to send anyone in a case of an 18-year-old facing a murder charge.
“This conduct thwarts and defeats the authority of the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis,” Millikan wrote.
Gardner has faced increasing political pressure to resign or be removed from office, as well. And the call for her to vacate the DA’s office has been bipartisan with both Democrats and Republicans saying she is failing miserably at fulfilling her duties, Fox noted.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is now taking official steps to have Garner removed from office when he “filed a petition quo warranto, the legal mechanism under state statute that allows the attorney general to remove a prosecutor who neglects the job’s duties,” Fox added.
We are giving Kim Gardner until noon tomorrow to resign. If she refuses, she will face immediate removal proceedings in the form of a writ of quo warranto brought by our office.
— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) February 23, 2023
Bailey’s final straw came in February after a teenage girl was struck by the driver of a car and lost both her legs. It came to Bailey’s attention because it turned out that the man driving the car was repeatedly allowed out on bond several dozen times for a long string of criminal acts. If he had not been released by Gardner, he would not have cost the young athlete her legs.
Naturally, the woke, left-winger is calling Bailey’s efforts a “political witch hunt,” as well as an effort at “voter suppression,” and she has refused to resign.
Ultimately, Noble has not yet hit Gardner with contempt charges and has given her until May 30 to present evidence to defend their negligent behavior. If found guilty, though, Gardner could face fines and even jail time.
It really is about time that this heartless, criminal-loving woke activist posing as a prosecutor gets a comeuppance. She is making her city a more dangerous place with a soaring crime rate as she continues to coddle criminals while turning a callous blind eye to the victims of crime.
