St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has set a date of June 1 for her resignation but there's a lot to sort out before then.
For one thing, Fox 2 News reports that 10 trials are scheduled in the next two weeks and none of them have an assigned prosecutor. One of the trials is a murder case that's already five years old and has been through several delays.
"Attorneys aren't going to magically appear out of thin air," said defense lawyer Chris Faerber, who used to work for Gardner. "While she's still there, no attorneys that left would ever come back with her in that office. So this is going to be an ongoing problem until June 2."
Gardner's office has seen a mass exodus of prosecutors in recent weeks and months. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey challenged her with a lawsuit, accusing Gardner of neglecting her duties. Bailey's now calling on her to leave office before June 1. He said he'll only drop the lawsuit if Gardner steps down immediately or signs a consent decree promising to never run for Circuit Attorney again.
When Gardner does resign, Governor Mike Parson will appoint a special prosecutor to replace her until the next election. Former Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said that's going to be a tough job.
"If they were my client, I would advise them to first meet with the employees," Joyce said. "Those employees there have been through a tremendous amount. They are probably traumatized and they need to be reassured that things are going to get back to normal as soon as possible."
Joyce said she would also meet with local judges to see if the docket could be suspended temporarily, given the shortage of prosecutors in Gardner's office.