}, Leslie Abrams Gardner is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. margin-bottom: 1px; Today, Gardner is getting ready to celebrate his fifth anniversary of being released from prison and cleared of all charges. font-size: .9em; '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. She could become the nation's first Black woman governor", "The fate of the Democrats' future may lie in Georgia", "President Obama Nominates Leslie Joyce Abrams to Serve on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia", "Abrams, Leslie Joyce Federal Judicial Center", "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate", "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Leslie Joyce Abrams, of Georgia, to be U.S. District Judge)", "On the Nomination (Confirmation Leslie Joyce Abrams, of Georgia, to be U.S. District Judge)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leslie_Abrams_Gardner&oldid=1142113247, Judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 15:46. 'The state still tried to get me to plead guilty, I said no way, I'd rather go back to prison, but I knew it was over, even though it took five months. [1] Biography [ edit] Gardner said he has heard about Chapmans struggles to attract and support Black students. There are comparatively few Black women in the highest reaches of the federal judiciary. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president certainly stands by his campaign commitment. margin: auto; Jackson, 51, is a rising star in Washington legal circles, she is a former Breyer clerk and a federal appeals court judge who was in the middle of politically charged disputes during the Donald Trump era. One victim chose another suspect in the lineup. She also occasionally teaches community college and writes nonfiction, with her co-authored book Stealing from the Worlds Best Schools available now wherever books are sold. [15] The Senate Judiciary Committee reported Abrams to the full Senate on June 19, 2014, on a voice vote. A former prosecutor nominated by Obama in 2014, she became the first Black female federal judge in Georgia, winning confirmation 100-0. 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. Thats also how long a judge sentenced an innocent man to serve in prison. Her sister, Stacey, could possibly upset the countrys political spectrum if Georgia voters select her as their governor in the upcoming November elections. But the Abrams aren't the only high-profile names Gardner has mingled with since his release - through his work he's also met Amanda Knox and John Lewis. 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. 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. He died while awaiting trial. 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. To make a donation to Gardner's House, please email admin@jcgardnerspeaks.com. background-color: #f9f9f9; United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, "Leslie Abrams Gardner, United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia: Profile and Biography", "Stacey Abrams wins Democratic primary in Georgia. I'm then immediately arrested and charged with nine counts from two separate offenses.'. The pair got married in November 2018, and he said, Its just been wonderful ever since. The judge released him April 1, 2016 on a $10,000 bond. I've met her sisters, mother, father, her family are extraordinary, remarkable, her parents are ministers in Mississippi and I got their approval. Sentencing Commission for several years as its vice chair. from Brown University in 1997 and her J.D. He said that he and Leslie are rooting for her sister Stacey Abrams in the upcoming Governor race in Georgia. By the fall, he had transferred dozens of hours of credits hed accumulated over the years and was enrolled at Chapman as a senior on a full-ride Presidential Scholarship. background-color: red; 'Baseball was going to be my future, God willing. Gardner is the sister of Stacey Abrams who has led the effort to register voters in the state. Jimmy is pictured above with his Great Aunt Alberta Le Mar, who helped raise him, but sadly passed away while he was still in prison. According to Abrams Gardner's Dec. 28 ruling, the basic facts of the case were as follows. padding-left: 10px; font-size: .9em; | In December 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner ruled on a case to which her sister, Stacey Abrams, was a party. REVEALED: 'Fragile' Justin Bieber was 'FORCED to cancel his tour' by doctors amid fears for his health after Ramsay Hunt syndrome diagnosis: 'Hailey and his family have been so worried', New York Times reporter was SPAT on after 'being recognized in public' after paper's own reporters and woke Hollywood A-listers criticized its trans coverage, Meet the band! In 1993 the West Virginia Supreme Court found that Zain had a long history of falsifying evidence in criminal prosecutions. An investigation concluded that Zains pattern and practice of misconduct completely undermined the validity and reliability of any forensic work he performed or reported and that as a matter of law, any testimonial or documentary evidence offered by Zain at any time in any criminal prosecution should be deemed invalid, unreliable, and inadmissible . State and local courts | } 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. But while the federal judge had vacated his convictions, West Virginia opted to retry Gardner on all charges. Brooke Staggs covers the environment for Southern California News Groups chain of 11 newspapers. } 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. 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. [4][5] NBC News had previously reported the retirement on January 26. Play it now! 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. One hundred ten years. display: inline-block; 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. 'I've seen 18-year-olds come in and get a hit put on them and get killed. [14], The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for Abrams on May 13, 2014. clear: both; Even though he knew of this discovery, Gardner would spend another 23 years in prison. color: black; Everything I went through was for me to become a better person and to help other people.'. He vowed to God that if he ever got out, hed speak for free for one year. How to vote | background-color: #f9f9f9; Prior to her confirmation to the court, she was an assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia. She is also a former assistant federal public defender in D.C. and clerked for several jurists including Breyer. Hes married to a high-profile woman whos become his biggest supporter. .widget-row.Republican { Julianna Michelle Childs has spent the past decade as a district court judge in South Carolina who was appointed by President Barack Obama. She is a former professor who spent 20 years at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore. Cochran was in prison for gang-related offenses and was part of the Aryan Brotherhood, a neo-Nazi white supremacist group. Abrams Gardner's reasoning can be examined in the ruling itself. } Ruckman even identified another man out of a police lineup as the man who assaulted her, but Zain said that his DNA evidence excluded that man. Kruger has held several high-ranking posts at the Department of Justice, Kruger has written a decision that overturned a precedent and required a warrant for vehicle searches. Turner was one of those targeted voters. 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. This is an obvious case for recusal. Both women described their assaulters as a light-skinned black man with a narrow nose who was about 6 feet tall. I still haven't found a case like mine to this day,' he said. I have a pretty unrelenting view of justice, she said in a 2013 interview with NYU Law Magazine. Cities in Alabama, Georgia, Kansas and West Virginia and other states are offering cash and homebuyer incentives of up to $15,000 for newcomers, Top Russian scientist who created Sputnik V Covid vaccine 'is strangled to death with a belt in his Moscow apartment in row with intruder', Floridians are told not to wash their face with tap water over brain-eating bug fears: Public health experts issue warning after man died from amoeba-infested water, Fears over measles super-spreader event at Kentucky religious festival - where up to 20,000 may have been exposed to unvaxxed attendee, Abstaining from masturbating RAISES risk of anxiety, depression and erectile dysfunction, study warns, Family of Utah law student, 25, say they found out from news report that he'd been shot dead by five cops 'after becoming non-compliant during traffic stop', Endangered Amazon! 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. 'These individuals need hope. On March 25, 2016, the judge ruled in his favor. Abrams Gardner added that "an order detailing the court's reasoning" was forthcoming. float: right; Jimmie Gardner was wrongfully convicted of assault and rape nearly three decades after an investigator produced falsified evidence by the way of fingerprint and DNA sample results that were not Jimmie's. The former minor league baseball player spent the better part of 23 years fruitlessly . Counties | AP Photo/Charles Dharapak. Her brother, Walter, has been incarcerated and experienced mental health and substance abuse problems. She received a Juris Doctor in 2002 from Yale Law School. Her age will almost certainly work against her given the push by both parties for younger justices who can serve longer. By Kimberly Robinson, Greg Stohr and Madi Alder. Circuit Court of Appeals. background-color: grey; Gardner was 20 years old, pitching for the Charleston Wheelers in West Virginia in 1987. During her tenure she argued a dozen cases before the Supreme Court on behalf of the government, according to her state supreme court bio. .widget-value { Laura Barrn-Lpez contributed to this report. While working alongside schools and prisons in Georgia, he met his future wife Leslie at a gathering of black female judges. Leslie Joyce Abrams was nominated by President Barack Obama to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia on March 11, 2014. 'I'm very familiar with laws, and I got talking with Leslie, we were discussing for hours about judicial laws and different processes. [1] She is the first female black federal judge in Georgia. In November the organization announced that Ifill plans to step down in the spring after more than nine years in charge. .widget-row.heading { [7] On June 19, 2014, her nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote. Based on his own cross-referencing of the U.S. 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 . 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 . I was the only male there. Leslie Abrams Gardner The sister of voting rights activist and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner is 47 years old and currently presides over a federal court in Atlanta, having been nominated by President Obama in 2014. She studied at Vassar College and earned her law degree from New York University. Zain was fired in 1993 and indicted for fraud, according to the National Registry of Exonerations at the University of Michigan.

Prior to being appointed to the bench, she was an Assistant United States Attorney.[1]. } Circuit and worked in President Barack Obamas Justice Department as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel. You have to be willing to fight and lose the battle sometimes in order to win the war.. On Feb. 1, 1990, Jimmie Gardner was sentenced to serve between 33 and 110 years in prison. 'I was stuck for 23 years in state court. There are comparatively few Black women in the highest reaches of the federal judiciary, though Biden has been active in bolstering those numbers as part of a broader emphasis on diversifying the courts, both in terms of demographics and professional background. 'The victims said the perpetrator had a light complexion, Afro-American and 6ft tall,' Gardner said. font-size: 1.2em; 'It's a strong testament to be just yourself with people. In her most prominent case, she ruled in 2019 that former White House counsel Don McGahn had to testify at a House impeachment hearing. I had false evidence of DNA that incriminated me, that was a barrier to any group helping me. The Big Bear native got her start teaching high school English and journalism in Riverside County but left in 2006 to be a student again herself, earning a masters degree in journalism from New York University. A former prosecutor nominated by Obama in 2014, she became the first Black female federal judge in Georgia, winning confirmation 100-0. Circuit. .widget-row.value-only.white { Sleek spring sweatersThese dupes are the price of the iconic sweater, but still as sleek as a slicked-back bun and hoops. color: white; The comments below have been moderated in advance. Kruger clerked for the late Justice John Paul Stevens and Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. 'The police gathered a hundred or so black men off the street. Learn more about a Bloomberg Law subscription. 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. Since 2015, Leondra Kruger has served as an associate justice on the California Supreme Court. U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner, who is the sister of Democratic voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, handed down the ruling after rebuffing a request that she recuse herself from the case. These dupes are the price of the iconic sweater, but still as sleek as a slicked-back bun and hoops. She is the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant mother and a Jewish father, both pediatricians. She also previously worked for the U.S. Gardner is the sister of Democratic activist and failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. 'I had a lot of anger in my first five years, but I understood that I was in a life and death situation. https://t.co/i6Ny4eub0z 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. 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. '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'. Do not sell or share my personal information. Leslie, 43, is the sister of Stacey Abrams, 44, who became the first black female gubernatorial nominee ever in the United States when she won the Democratic primary in Georgia on Tuesday and is hoping to make history in November at the midterm elections. border:1px solid #FFB81F; Majority Forward is a non-profit voter registration organization, and Turner is a resident of Muscogee County, Georgia. width: 250px; 'You'd want to be carrying your steel [homemade knife] rather than be without it. Public policy. Then Zain claimed the man identified by one of the victims couldnt have been her attacker. Gardner moved in with his mother, Gladys, upon his release - which he said felt like returning to his teenage years. 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. Leslie Abrams Gardner moderated a discussion entitled "The Color of Justice," looking at mass incarceration in the U.S., with activist and speaker Jimmie Gardner, middle, and artist Masud Olufani. background-color: grey; if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; .succession-table th, .succession-table tr { Before becoming a federal judge, Childs was a South Carolina state judge, a commissioner on the state workers compensation commission, and an official in the South Carolina labor department. A man who spent nearly three decades in prison after being wrongly convicted of rape and assault is marrying a federal judge who is the sister of Stacey Abrams, the first-ever black female nominee for governor in the United States. color: white; But Gardner was impressed with her accomplishments and more than a bit smitten. | Her age -- she is the youngest of Bidens potential picks -- means she could easily serve for three decades or more on the high court. Given the revelations about Zains testimony, Gardner first filed for the West Virginia courts to review his conviction in 1993. District Judge Wilhelmina 'Mimi' Wright, Judge on Minnesota's. Her Supreme Court cases came while she was in the solicitor generals office, where she was named acting principal deputy solicitor general. The Abrams are daughters of two Methodist ministers from Mississippi and have welcomed Gardner with open arms into their family, who he says are 'extraordinary and remarkable'. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court."[8]. Circuit served as a springboard for future justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh. 'I came home after 27 years, you don't have to be angry all the time, keep in good health, mentally, physically and spiritually. She is also a former assistant federal public defender in D.C. and clerked for several jurists including Breyer. A federal district court judge in Georgia, Leslie Abrams Gardner was appointed to the bench by Obama in 2014. Growing up in Tampa Bay, Florida, Gardner was a natural at sport, from football to basketball, but it was baseball that was destined to be his future - until he was wrongly convicted, In May 1987, a mother and her daughter were robbed, beaten, and the latter raped at their home in Charleston. At one particular gathering of black judges, he met Leslie Gardner. } He said: 'When I went in in the late eighties, there were skinheads, the Ayran Brotherhood, biker gangs, there were different hits on people, lots of murders, that was the norm. How those two things are related is a fascinating tale of criminal injustice involving a professional athlete whose career was stolen after he spent more than a quarter of a century in prison for crimes he didnt commit. I just try to be a good person, I try to treat people with respect.'. Possible Joe Biden nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, United States District Court for the District of Maryland, United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia website, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Leslie_Abrams_Gardner&oldid=8725719, Pages using DynamicPageList dplreplace parser function, Pages using DynamicPageList parser function, Federal judge, Middle District of Georgia, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. A state judge denied his petition. 'She's very experienced - numerous years in political spectrum,' Gardner said. } Justice Leslie Abrams Gardner, a federal prosecutor turned federal district court judge, has had her name appear on lists in such publications as the Washington Post, Politico, and Bloomberg of . That's how I live my life. .widget-row.Green { 'The following Friday, I got the call from my lawyer telling me that my conviction had been vacated and Goodwin had given me an automatic release. Now I want to bring awareness and keep individuals informed on how you should react in these situations and how you survive to see another day..