Gardner said it was likely 'dangerous' for Cochran to be helping him due to his connection to the white supremacist group, but they had 'respect for each other'. Circuit that is due to open up in February when Judge David Tatel assumes senior status. width: 150px; Ifill, who spent part of her career at the American Civil Liberties Union, has an undergraduate degree from Vassar College and a law degree from New York University School of Law. The scene first came to him in the late 1980s, when he was playing minor league baseball. She is a former professor who spent 20 years at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore. Here are some of the people whose names have been discussed as prime candidates for an open Supreme Court seat. A federal district court judge in Georgia, Leslie Abrams Gardner was appointed to the bench by Obama in 2014. border: 1px solid #a2a9b1 !important; But Ive had a pleasant experience and I look forward to attracting more individuals that look like me to come to Chapman.. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; .succession-table th, .succession-table tr { Published: 12:37 EST, 24 May 2018 | Updated: 13:48 EST, 24 May 2018. font-weight: bold; In reality, Abrams was not a party to the case on which her sister ruled in December 2020. On March 11, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Abrams to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. } According to Abrams Gardner's Dec. 28 ruling, the basic facts of the case were as follows. The board of elections in Ben Hill County determined that Roberts' challenge to the eligibility of 152 of those voters was likely valid, and they designated those 152 voters "pending hearing" and contacted them to advise that they would only be allowed to cast provisional ballots in the January 2021 Senate run-off election, and would subsequently have to "cure" those ballots by providing proof of their residency. Gardner was 20 years old, pitching for the Charleston Wheelers in West Virginia in 1987. background-color: #003388; United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, .infobox { Gardner, 47, is another judge who would be making an unlikely leap from serving on a federal district court. Growing up in Tampa Bay, Florida, he was a natural at sports, from football to basketball, but it was baseball that was destined to be his future. As a California Supreme Court justice since 2015, she has developed a reputation as a careful, incremental jurist -- a trait that might disappoint some liberal advocates while potentially attracting Republican support. Two years later, in Miami, Gardner was arrested for gun possession and the police ran his fingerprints through the system. He vowed to God that if he ever got out, hed speak for free for one year. Leslie Abrams Gardner (ne Leslie Joyce Abrams; born December 6, 1974) is a U.S. District Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. His team insists the state of West Virginia knew as early as 1985 that Zain wasnt qualified as a DNA or bodily fluids expert but still let the man testify in his 1990 trial, which hinged on exactly such evidence. She can go on to the be the first black female governor in the United States.'. Six months later, as university President Daniele Struppa committed to new diversity initiatives aimed at better supporting students of color on campus in the wake of George Floyds death, Gardner was invited to share his experience during a virtual town hall. By Kimberly Robinson, Greg Stohr and Madi Alder. .widget-row.value-only.white { A guide to ALL of the characters in Daisy Jones & The Six - from Joan Jett-esque rock icon to the Steve Nicks-inspired leading lady played by Elvis' granddaughter Riley Keough - who based her portrayal on late mom Lisa Marie, PICTURED: Radio host who took down Subway spokesman Jared Fogle with flirty, long-distance relationship to record him describing sick pedo fantasies - only for it to ruin her life, Florida Wheel of Fortune contestant sparks hilarity after getting answer wrong to food puzzle with letters: 'WARM TOASTED BA_ELS WITH LO_ AND CREAM CHEESE', Not very reserved! [1] She is the first female black federal judge in Georgia. Gardner moved in with his mother, Gladys, upon his release - which he said felt like returning to his teenage years. In 2012, he filed his own petition for relief in federal court, knowing full well that it would likely be denied since he technically hadnt exhausted his options in state court. background-color: grey; But he also continued taking classes, with professors from nearby colleges teaching a room full of inmates everything from computers to heating and air conditioning repair to culinary arts. One name being discussed nationally is the sister of Georgia politician Stacey Abrams. Prior to her confirmation to the court, she was an assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia. width: 250px; On May 16, 1987, a man broke into the home of 82-year-old Bethel Ferrell and sexually assaulted Ferrells 60-year old daughter, Wilma Galati, in the Kanawha City section of Charleston, W.Va. Two months later, Lillian Ruckman was sexually assaulted in her home in Kanawha City. For this reason, Judge Gardners impartiality might reasonably be questioned were this case to proceed before her. She was also a law firm partner, focusing on labor and employment law. He was 49 years old when he returned home and started getting to know his daughter, who was then 31 years old. [7] On June 19, 2014, her nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote. [7], President Joe Biden (D) did not announce a list of nominees he was considering. School districts | Also, genetic markers did not in fact rule out the other suspect. 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U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner attracted considerable criticism when she declined to recuse herself from a challenge over voter eligibility. Even though Gardners defense team was not allowed to view the lab results showing that the person who committed the rapes had a different blood type from Gardners, and even though the states stance was that the same person had committed both rapes, he was acquitted of the charges related to Ruckman (pdf) but convicted of rape (of Galati), assault (of Ferrell), battery, robbery and burglary because Zain said that Gardner was one of the few people on the planet who matched the DNA. One hundred ten years. .widget-row.Republican { It's traumatic for the parents. .widget-key { In 2013, Gardner's case was picked up by federal judge Joseph Goodwin, who listened to Gardner's written arguments and agreed to review the appeal despite it not being heard at state court. On Dec. 23, Majority Forward challenged the actions of Muscogee and Ben Hill counties, and filed for a temporary restraining order on Dec. 27. While working alongside schools and prisons in Georgia, he met his future wife Leslie at a gathering of black female judges. ', Gardner, pictured at West Virginia's Mount Olive Correctional Facility in 1995, studied law while incarcerated in hopes of overturning his conviction, Gardner, pictured at West Virginia's Mount Olive Correctional Facility in 1995, was finally released from prison in 2016. Between seasons, he enrolled in his first college classes, imagining the day when hed walk across a stage, flip his tassel, and take home a degree in business management. Her age will almost certainly work against her given the push by both parties for younger justices who can serve longer. Now the 51-year-old has found love with Georgia District Judge Leslie Abrams, and the pair plan to marry later this year. [12] The vacancy was created when Willie Sands took senior status on April 12, 2014. margin-bottom: 1px; One victim chose another suspect in the lineup. .widget-row { Jackson was nominated by Obama to the federal district court in Washington, winning Senate confirmation in 2013. Abrams Gardner's reasoning can be examined in the ruling itself. After his year of service ended, Gardner started a for-profit company called J.C. Gardner Speaks. This material may not be reproduced without permission. He grew up in Tampa, Fl., where he earned good grades and was a standout on his high school baseball team. .widget-row.value-only.black { They argued, in part, that Fair Fight the voting rights group founded and chaired by Abrams was involved in similar litigation before the U.S. District Court in Georgia's Northern District, and the same lawyers represented Fair Fight and Majority Forward in the cases. margin-top: 1px; } 'I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be with such an awesome individual. Gardner recalled: 'My mother told me on a Sunday that she'd gone out to pray and God had said that you can pack up and you're coming home. .widget-row.value-only { She also has an influential backer in Representative Jim Clyburn, the South Carolina Democrat whose endorsement of Biden in the 2020 presidential primary helped rescue his flailing campaign. Her sister, Stacey, could possibly upset the countrys political spectrum if Georgia voters select her as their governor in the upcoming November elections. text-align: center; Both women described their assaulters as a light-skinned black man with a narrow nose who was about 6 feet tall. 'I give fingerprints again, pubic hairs, saliva, blood samples, I mean, what have I got to hide? } Ballotpedia features 395,577 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. padding-left: 10px; At 23 years old, he was sentenced to up to 110 years in prison. Gardner wasn't incarcerated until years later when officers took DNA from him again during questioning, Gardner, is pictured above second from left at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex in 2002. Two sources close to the Congressional Black Caucus said that Jackson is viewed as a favorite. He beat her, raped her 60-year-old daughter, then stole $90 and a cassette player. Justice Stephen Breyers retirement announcement gives President Joe Biden the chance to fulfill his campaign promise to put the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. 'You have to work out your body in mind and physically, every day you have to be positive, so many people had given up, they were zombies, it was like there was death in the air. https://t.co/i6Ny4eub0z } Justice Stephen Breyers retirement plans have quickly created an expectation that President Biden will nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court, as he promised during his campaign. Kruger graduated from Harvard and received her J.D. Gardner is the sister of Stacey Abrams who has led the effort to register voters in the state. Despite the fact that Gardner is 6 feet 4, has a wide nose and is dark-skinned, Fred Zain, who examined blood for the West Virginia State Police, said that Gardners blood and fingerprints matched the blood and fingerprints that were found at the scene of the crime. 'We got together, it clicked, we know that God brought us together for a purpose. Some people you think will be uneasy, maybe her parents won't accept me, but they did. Meanwhile, Gardner, who earned three degrees while he was incarcerated, is in the process of converting a building that housed an old newspaper into the Gardners House, a facility that will house formerly incarcerated people, providing them with the opportunity to find housing and jobs. The defendants in the case filed a motion to request that Abrams Gardner recuse herself. She served as an associate at the law firm of Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, from 2006 to 2007. U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner's ruling comes after two counties voted to remove a tranche of voters' names from their rosters after two separate complaints alleged that publicly . Get to know the top contenders for Biden's pick to the nations highest court. A federal judge in Georgia on Monday ordered two counties to reverse a decision removing more than 4,000 voters from the rolls The judge, Leslie Abrams Gardner the sister of former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Laura Barrn-Lpez contributed to this report. He's still a friend today. Once he graduates, Gardner hopes he might get a talk show or podcast that will help him bring his message to a bigger audience. A feud could start out of nowhere. 'In the beginning she wouldn't give me a key and took the door off my room, saying: 'I don't want you bringing girls into the house'. State and local courts | Many felt it was inappropriate for Gardner to rule on the case, a concern that was background-color: grey; Zain was fired in 1993 and indicted for fraud, according to the National Registry of Exonerations at the University of Michigan. But no one's story can be quite as astonishing as Gardner's. U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner is the sister of Stacey Abrams, and ruled on a voter-registration case that was very similar to another case before a different district court in Georgia, which involved Abrams' voting rights organization Fair Fight. Circuit. font-weight: bold; Abrams interest could therefore be substantially affected by the outcome of this proceeding. Her brother, Walter, has been incarcerated and experienced mental health and substance abuse problems. font-size: .9em; MEGHAN MCCAIN: Ohio in a poisonous soup. U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner's ruling Wednesday came amid efforts by the Texas-based conservative group True The Vote to coordinate challenges to the registration of more than . She will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice. Gardner attended the event. I encourage them to stay on the good path, don't succumb to the environment they're in. 'All the computer classes, I got three degrees inside, learned whatever I could, like how to strip floors, carpentry, restaurant management, air conditioning/heating, plumbing, staying abreast with the Internet and mobiles, car mechanics, anything to keep my mind active. She received her bachelors degree from the University of South Florida and received both a business and law degree from the University of South Carolina. Before that she worked as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Georgia, which includes Atlanta. Its funny because I was explaining to her how the law worked in my case, Gardner says. Leslie Abrams Gardner, United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia: Profile and Biography - Bloomberg Markets Subscribe Live Now Bloomberg TV+ Bloomberg UK A weekly deep. 'Rough situations - guys getting killed on the softball field, in the yard, in cells on lock down, getting stabbed or beaten to death. He agreed there had been a miscarriage of justice, but it still took 46 months before Gardner was released, and the state wasn't willing to give in, and wanted a retrial, even offering him ten years if he admitted his guilt. 'I was stuck for 23 years in state court. Earlier in December 2020, Tommy Roberts a City Council member in Fitzgerald in Ben Hill County challenged the eligibility of 328 registered voters in the county. Today, Gardner is getting ready to celebrate his fifth anniversary of being released from prison and cleared of all charges. Then Zain claimed the man identified by one of the victims couldnt have been her attacker. width: 43%; Like other potential candidates, she has an Ivy League background. I went with a friend who asked me to mingle, Gardner told the Daily Mail. Gardner, 47, is another judge who would be making an unlikely leap from serving on a federal district court. Clyburn told the New York Times in February Childs would be a good addition to the Supreme Court.. Even though he knew of this discovery, Gardner would spend another 23 years in prison. The youngest is Leslie Abrams Gardner, 45, the sister of Biden vice presidential contender Stacey Abrams. He played professionally for the next four years, working part-time jobs, taking college classes between seasons and getting to know his newborn daughter. The legal wranglings were complex but the gist was simple: While he didnt actually look like the suspect, he fit the vague description of a tall black male. The two met at an event for the Georgias Black Women Lawyers Association. [8] On November 12, 2014, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed for cloture on her nomination. } I felt like I was 13 years old. During that time, Gardner had been studying the law. Although the White House has been tight-lipped about its short list, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger are the consensus front-runners among Bidens progressive allies. Ts there were no ruling, I couldn't take it to federal court. AP Photo/Charles Dharapak. The pair got married in November 2018, and he said, Its just been wonderful ever since. [4][5] NBC News had previously reported the retirement on January 26. Leslie Abrams Gardner (ne Leslie Joyce Abrams; born December 6, 1974) is a U.S. District Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. My case lingered throughout the system for 23 years without me getting the opportunity to get a review in court.. Shes written for dozens of newspapers and magazines across the country, with projects that have taken her from a zero gravity flight over Queens to a fishing village in Ghana. The defendants wrote: In addition, any relief rendered in the instant case as it relates to the NCOAR [National Change of Address Registry] would likely be cited as persuasive authority in the Fair Fight Litigation. font-weight: bold; Thats also how long a judge sentenced an innocent man to serve in prison. 'I had a lot of anger in my first five years, but I understood that I was in a life and death situation. Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and Leslie Abrams Gardner are indeed sisters. Ifill, 59, came back to helm the LDF in 2013 after two decades teaching at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore. Hes married to a high-profile woman whos become his biggest supporter. Another name that stands out is Ketanji Brown Jackson, 49, a judge in Washington who was . During the investigation, 23-year-old Jimmie Gardner was in Kanawha City playing for a minor league baseball team after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs. I never gave up, Gardner said. A judge determined that Zains pattern and practice of misconduct completely undermined the validity and reliability of any forensic work he performed or reported.. Her sister Stacey Abrams is the former House Minority Leader in the Georgia General Assembly, and the Democratic nominee for governor in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election[2][3] and 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election. .widget-img { 'But no one took on the case. She also spent several years working in the private sector, mostly for the firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and was a federal law clerk in Maryland early in her career. Childs is a favorite of top Black Caucus members including Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), according to two senior Democratic aides. 'We need a fresh beginning. Instead of getting offended, Gardner said Leslie Abrams told him, Wow, you could actually be an attorney. She hesitated to tell him her job, he said, fearing his experience with the justice system would put him off. 'I'm very familiar with laws, and I got talking with Leslie, we were discussing for hours about judicial laws and different processes. Kruger clerked for the late Justice John Paul Stevens and Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. 'She's the perfect person to provide energy for the state of Georgia. She was one of six children. It can happen at any time. color: black; background-color: #f9d334; On Feb. 1, 1990, Jimmie Gardner was sentenced to serve between 33 and 110 years in prison. } Out of the 136 cases convicted on Zains testimony, Gardner said he was only the sixth person who successfully challenged his sentence. Gardner, who has not received compensation from West Virginia for the false imprisonment, jumped right into his new life and forged a career as a motivational speaker and an advocate for the wrongly convicted. Since 2015, Leondra Kruger has served as an associate justice on the California Supreme Court. Kruger, 45, offers a mix of strengths that make her one of the odds-on favorites. A federal judge in Georgia on Monday ordered two counties to reverse a decision removing more than 4,000 voters from the rolls ahead of the Jan. 5 runoff elections that will decide control of the U.S. Senate. She is also a former assistant federal public defender in D.C. and clerked for several jurists including Breyer. He is seen with his sister Tracey (left), mother Gladys (front and center), nephew Khori Sims, who is in the arms of friend Ed Hansley, and friend Sheilah Lewis, 'It looked like I was guilty, but you had a man falsifying it, that's ridiculous, it's horrible, who does that?'. U.S. District Court Judge Leslie A. Gardner is the sister of Stacey Abrams. Cities | Leslie J. Abrams was a U.S. attorney until she was nominated by President Barack Obama for a federal judgeship in Georgia's Middle District. She graduated from Brown University before attending Yale Law School. You have to be willing to fight and lose the battle sometimes in order to win the war.. After he was released, Gardner began working with Georgia schools, prisons and organizations as a motivational speaker and criminal-justice advocate. Her husband was wrongly imprisoned for 26 years for a rape and robbery he didnt commit before getting exonerated. Kevin Lamarque/Pool via AP. Gardner was one of eight kids born in Georgia to a dad who built houses and a mom who worked for a sewing thread manufacturer. [4][5], On March 11, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Gardner to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Georgia, to the seat being vacated by Judge W. Louis Sands, who assumed senior status on April 12, 2014. Zain had died of liver cancer and escaped a custodial sentence for his crimes. While hes been completing his courses remotely from Georgia due to the pandemic, Gardner hopes to move to Orange County to attend his last semester in person. margin-bottom: 0; I was going to give it my best shot, who knows if I was going to be good enough,' he says. They said his fingerprint matched one found on a vase in the first victims home. } All of those other 100-plus cases, theyve either died off or been brushed under the rug, he said. Prior to that she was a state court trial judge after previously serving as a commissioner on the South Carolina Workers Compensation Commission and a deputy director at the state Department of Labor. Given the revelations about Zains testimony, Gardner first filed for the West Virginia courts to review his conviction in 1993. The bulk of the registrations that the counties sought to rescind, more than 4,000, were in Muscogee County, which Biden won handily in November. A former prosecutor nominated by Obama in 2014, she became the first Black female federal judge in Georgia, winning confirmation 100-0. U.S. Congress | } Court Personnel Leslie Abrams Gardner, U.S. District Judge Staff Information Felicia Rushing, Courtroom Deputy/Scheduling Clerk, felicia_rushing@gamd.uscourts.gov, (229) 431-2510 Chambers of Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner 201 West Broad Avenue Albany, Georgia 31701 Trial Trial: Judge Gardner's Voir Dire Questions - Civil Trials Prior to being appointed to the bench, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Before being appointed to the bench, Jackson worked as an attorney at the firm Morrison & Foerster with an emphasis on appellate litigation. 'I met a lot of her judge friends, and they were honored to meet me, as I was them,' he added. Gardner is the sister of Stacey Abrams who has led the effort to register voters in the state. display: inline-block; clear: both; Circuit. She also previously worked for the U.S. Leslie J. Abrams was a U.S. attorney until she was nominated by President Barack Obama for a federal judgeship in Georgias Middle District. The Abrams aren't the only high-profile names Gardner has mingled with since his release - he has also connected with John Lewis, Gardner works at the Innocence Project alongside Amanda Knox, who attended an exoneree event in April 2018 (pictured above), Exonerated prisoners from around the world gathered for a march (pictured above) in April. Gardner was mentioned by two or more media outlets as a possible nominee to fill Breyer's seat on the court. Gardner later learned that lab results actually showed the attacker had Type O blood, while he had Type A blood. Childs would bring a different set of experiences to the Supreme Court as a non-Ivy League law school graduate -- she graduated from the University of South Carolina -- and a former South Carolina labor official. It was through this work that he met his wife, Leslie Abrams Gardner, who became the first Black woman appointed as a federal judge in Georgia in 2014 and is sister to voting rights activist. Some other possible front-runners include 45-year-old California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger and Georgia U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner, who is 47 and the sister of Stacey Abrams, who is running for governor in Georgia.

} Childs has been a federal judge in South Carolina since 2010 when she was appointed by Obama. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president certainly stands by his campaign commitment. District Judge Wilhelmina 'Mimi' Wright, Judge on Minnesota's. Jimmie Gardner was released from a West Virginia prison in 2016, 26 years after being wrongly convicted of sexual assault, robbery and unlawful entry related to break-ins that occurred in the 1980s. 'I'll keep fighting for injustice, wrongful convictions and for people who haven't got voices,' Gardner said. She is also a former assistant federal public defender in D.C. and clerked for several jurists including Breyer. Im very familiar with laws, and I got talking with Leslie; we were discussing for hours about judicial laws and different processes.. Gardner claimed he has seen a dozen murders and hundreds other die from inhuman conditions during his time in correctional facilities.