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. He was questioned, fingerprinted and released. Contrary to Collins' claim, Abrams was not a "party" to the Majority Forward litigation on which her sister ruled in December 2020. U.S. President | 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. Gardner plans to use his communications degree to continue sharing his story, shedding light on other wrongful conviction cases and inspiring people to keep fighting for justice. vertical-align: top; I kept telling individuals, Im doing to fight until the day I die. Get to know the top contenders for Biden's pick to the nations highest court. While the polls in Georgia officially closed at 7 p.m., the window of opportunity for Stacey. But hes been impressed with the concrete steps the university is taking to improve its diversity and said he wants to support those efforts. 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. Now the 51-year-old has found love with Georgia District Judge Leslie Abrams, and the pair plan to marry later this year. I had a lot of hatred, but knew I had to channel that out of me,' Gardner said. font-weight: bold; But our Second Gentlemen is lecturing us about 'toxic masculinity'. She has written about the importance of diversity among judges in federal and state courts. 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. To make a donation to Gardner's House, please email admin@jcgardnerspeaks.com. I was the only male there. Postal Service's National Change of Address database, Roberts contended that those voters had moved out of the state and were therefore no longer eligible to vote in Ben Hill County. 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! .widget-row.value-only.white { On Dec. 28, Abrams Gardner granted that order, meaning the counties were ordered, for the next eight days, not to remove the targeted voters from registration lists, or require them to cast only provisional ballots. They also argued that Abrams Gardner's ruling in the Majority Forward case could have a bearing on the judge's decision-making in the Fair Fight litigation, which directly involved Abrams, since she is the chairperson of that organization. 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! But he never got the chance,' Gardner said. The two met at an event for the Georgias Black Women Lawyers Association. Thats also how long a judge sentenced an innocent man to serve in prison. Leslie J. Abrams was a U.S. attorney until she was nominated by President Barack Obama for a federal judgeship in Georgias Middle District. color: black; 'We need a fresh beginning. Black Women Had Some Major Firsts In Last Week's Midterm Elections, Black Musicians Are Not A Monolith: An Interview with Bartees Strange, Stacey Abrams: Here's How Voter Suppression Can Occur. word-wrap: break-word; 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 . 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-size: 1.2em; On March 25, 2016, the judge ruled in his favor. It's traumatic for the parents. She served as an associate at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom LLP, from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2007 to 2010. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Jackson received both her undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University.. .widget-row.value-only { 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. .widget-img { } 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. | You have to be willing to fight and lose the battle sometimes in order to win the war.. Some people you think will be uneasy, maybe her parents won't accept me, but they did. font-weight: bold; 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. 'She's very experienced - numerous years in political spectrum,' Gardner said. Brooke joined the Orange County Register in January 2013, covering local communities, cannabis and politics before starting on the environment beat for SCNG in July 2022. I had false evidence of DNA that incriminated me, that was a barrier to any group helping me. Play it now! 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 Stacey Abrams. Abrams Gardner added that "an order detailing the court's reasoning" was forthcoming. 'I met a lot of her judge friends, and they were honored to meet me, as I was them,' he added. display: inline-block; Gardner claimed he has seen a dozen murders and hundreds other die from inhuman conditions during his time in correctional facilities. Circuit. 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. Gardner struggled to adjust to life in prison, as he lost the opportunity to watch his daughter, who was only three when he was incarcerated, grow up. On May 16, 1987, a man described as around 6 feet tall with light black skin broke into an 82-year-old Charleston womans home. Gardner said he has heard about Chapmans struggles to attract and support Black students. But it would take 23 years for Gardner to finally be released, being denied hearing after hearing, and he spent years writing to advocacy groups and even President Barack Obama looking for help. She began her career serving as a law clerk for Judge Marvin J. Garbis of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. He grew up in Tampa, Fl., where he earned good grades and was a standout on his high school baseball team. Gardner is the sister of Democratic activist and failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Leslie Abrams Gardner. 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. width: 150px; A century and a decade. 'Then fast forward two years, I'm in Florida and Charleston Police say they want to question me about the crimes in 1987. In December 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner ruled on a case to which her sister, Stacey Abrams, was a party. Zain had died of liver cancer and escaped a custodial sentence for his crimes. During her tenure she argued a dozen cases before the Supreme Court on behalf of the government, according to her state supreme court bio. Ballot measures, Who represents me? How to vote | He was given an hour a day for recreation or education, during which he studied law and found an unlikely teacher in fellow inmate Marcus Cochran. 'Rough situations - guys getting killed on the softball field, in the yard, in cells on lock down, getting stabbed or beaten to death. She received a Juris Doctor in 2002 from Yale Law School. 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. This is an obvious case for recusal. Leslie Abrams Gardner is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. [3], Gardner earned her B.A. That chatter gained volume last year when Biden tapped her to fill now-Attorney General Merrick Garlands seat on the D.C. '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. 'I watched hundreds of guys dying from eating the bad food, dirty water, disease, succumbing to the environment - killing themselves, or getting killed. 'I was the only male there, I went with a friend who asked me to mingle,' Gardner said. Gardner is the sister of Stacey Abrams who has led the effort to register voters in the state. The new injunction from U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner, issued just before midnight on Wednesday, replaces an earlier restraining order she had issued that prevented Muscogee. Both women described their assaulters as a light-skinned black man with a narrow nose who was about 6 feet tall. Cities | It can happen at any time. } [1] She is the first female black federal judge in Georgia. Her age -- she is the youngest of Bidens potential picks -- means she could easily serve for three decades or more on the high court. He fought his conviction through numerous delays, even writing President Barack Obama, who could not pardon people convicted in state courts. Jackson received both her undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University. 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. 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. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. 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. Federal courts | Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner; Judge Clay D. Land; Judge Tilman E. (Tripp) Self; Sr. Judge Hugh Lawson; Sr. Judge W. Louis Sands; Sr. Judge C. Ashley Royal; Mag Judge M. Stephen Hyles; Mag Judge Thomas Q. Langstaff; Mag Judge Charles H. Weigle; For Attorneys. AP Photo/Charles Dharapak. She also has experience working at the Supreme Court as a clerk to former Justice John Paul Stevens. 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. Kruger has held several high-ranking posts at the Department of Justice, border:1px solid #FFB81F; Brooke lives in the Inland Empire with her husband and their much-loved pets. I had fingerprints, photos, stayed 90 minutes to be interrogated, they said nothing matched, and wished me well for the season. Today, Gardner is getting ready to celebrate his fifth anniversary of being released from prison and cleared of all charges. }, Chief Judge:Marc Thomas Treadwell Two years later, in Miami, Gardner was arrested for gun possession and the police ran his fingerprints through the system. background-color: grey; It was a classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Public policy. 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. Cochran was in prison for gang-related offenses and was part of the Aryan Brotherhood, a neo-Nazi white supremacist group. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; .succession-table th, .succession-table tr { However her prospects are complicated by being the sister of Democratic voting rights activist and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Ifill, 59, came back to helm the LDF in 2013 after two decades teaching at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore. After he was released, Gardner began working with Georgia schools, prisons and organizations as a motivational speaker and criminal-justice advocate. She is the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant mother and a Jewish father, both pediatricians. One victim chose another suspect in the lineup. [9][10] Click here to read more about the vacancy and nomination process. .widget-row.value-only.black { Since 2015, Leondra Kruger has served as an associate justice on the California Supreme Court. [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.
float:right; Two sources close to the Congressional Black Caucus said that Jackson is viewed as a favorite and has long been on the group of influential lawmakers shortlist for future openings. 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. 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. Collins stated a significant falsehood in claiming otherwise. 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. I knew he was lying because I knew I hadnt committed the crime, Gardner told the Washington Post. 'You'd want to be carrying your steel [homemade knife] rather than be without it. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court."[8]. 'I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be with such an awesome individual. width: 250px; In reality, Abrams was not a party to the case on which her sister ruled in December 2020. 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 . Ifill, 59, would be a bold choice and send a strong statement about Bidens prioritization of civil rights. Just because the courts arent hearing me, Im not going to stop.. 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. 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. } In December 2020, right-leaning observers and prominent Republican politicians cried foul after a federal court judge blocked attempts to remove thousands of names from voter rolls in Georgia, ahead of January's two U.S. Senate run-off elections in the state. The D.C. How much damage does wrongful incarcerations have on mothers and fathers? The defendants in the case filed a motion to request that Abrams Gardner recuse herself. Millions of men out of work and lonely. Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner blocked two counties from purging over 4,000 voters from the rolls for Georgia's upcoming runoff elections. Since that time period covered the Jan. 5, 2021, elections, the targeted voters were therefore allowed to vote as normal in the U.S. Senate run-off elections. color: white; She would bring another dimension of diversity to the Supreme Court as a former public defender. Kruger has written a decision that overturned a precedent and required a warrant for vehicle searches. Her age will almost certainly work against her given the push by both parties for younger justices who can serve longer. I went with a friend who asked me to mingle, Gardner told the Daily Mail. .widget-value { Jackson was nominated by Biden and confirmed last year by the Senate to the powerful D.C. 'I left when I was 23 and 50 when I returned, but in her mind I was 13, it was a psychological thing. Kevin Lamarque/Pool via AP. Her Supreme Court cases came while she was in the solicitor generals office, where she was named acting principal deputy solicitor general. How to run for office | [7], President Joe Biden (D) did not announce a list of nominees he was considering. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. font-size: .9em; 'But I've also met some of the most ingenious guys, phenomenal dudes, scientists, woodsmen, some very sharp individuals. She will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice. margin-top: 1px; Ketanji Brown Jackson is sworn in at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her work has triggered FBI investigations, landed her appearances on national TV and radio outlets, and helped her win some of the top journalism awards in the western United States. Circuit and worked in President Barack Obamas Justice Department as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel. Theres a moment Jimmie Gardner has rehearsed in his head for more than three decades. background-color: #f9f9f9; Gardner was mentioned by two or more media outlets as a possible nominee to fill Breyer's seat on the court. On Monday, November 17, 2014 cloture was invoked by a 6828 vote. I've met her sisters, mother, father, her family are extraordinary, remarkable, her parents are ministers in Mississippi and I got their approval. He beat her, raped her 60-year-old daughter, then stole $90 and a cassette player. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. In 2014, she was appointed to . He was acknowledged at the assembly in February 2018 and received a house resolution commending him. width: 43%; It will mean a long distance relationship with his wife for a few months, though he suspects shell visit often. His team spent the next five months preparing. In Muscogee County, a man named Ralph Russell brought a similar challenge, claiming to have found 4,033 registered voters in Muscogee County who, according to the National Change of Address database, had moved out of state. 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. Two months later, another woman was sexually assaulted. font-weight: bold; Kruger, 45, offers a mix of strengths that make her one of the odds-on favorites. .clearfix { } One hundred ten years. As of Dec. 31, no such order was available on the case's online docket. font-weight: bold; Her brother, Walter, has been incarcerated and experienced mental health and substance abuse problems. margin: auto; Leslie Abrams Gardner husband: Who is Jimmie Gardner? Apply today! These dupes are the price of the iconic sweater, but still as sleek as a slicked-back bun and hoops. Conservatives would likely focus on her ties to her sister, voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, who ran for governor of Georgia in 2018 and was behind get-out-the-vote efforts that flipped the state blue in 2020. At 23 years old, he was sentenced to up to 110 years in prison. Many felt it was inappropriate for Gardner to rule on the case, a concern that was Do not sell or share my personal information. I still haven't found a case like mine to this day,' he said. During Jacksons district court confirmation hearing, Breyer was quoted as having raved about her intellect and thoughtfulness. However, she is the chairperson of Fair Fight, a voting rights organization that acted as a plaintiff in a very similar case, albeit in a different U.S. District Court, in Georgia, at the same time. Read More: A Supreme Court Path for Potential Black Female Nominee. Gardner hopes the coronavirus pandemic will subside enough by the fall that hell get to walk across a stage rather than accept his diploma in a virtual ceremony. Clay LandTilman E. Self IIILeslie Abrams Gardner, Hugh LawsonWillie SandsAshley Royal, Duross FitzpatrickWilbur OwensBascom Sine DeaverWilliam Josiah TilsonWilliam BootleAbraham CongerThomas Davis (Georgia)James Robert Elliott, Hugh LawsonDuross FitzpatrickWilbur OwensWillie SandsClay LandWilliam BootleThomas Davis (Georgia)James Robert Elliott, What's on my ballot? Her familial relation has already been used against her by conservatives to criticize her rulings on cases she has overseen a line of attack that would surely escalate if Biden selected her for the Supreme Court and could potentially drag out the confirmation process. I never gave up, Gardner said. Before that she worked as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Georgia, which includes Atlanta. 'I like going back to prisons and telling them not to give up. A federal district court judge in Georgia, Leslie Abrams Gardner was appointed to the bench by Obama in 2014. Although her resume may not excite progressives seeking more professional diversity on the federal bench, Gardner understands the criminal justice system in a way few justices have. 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. From 2010 to 2014, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia. .top_disclaimer { A couple months later, another Charleston woman was assaulted in her home by a man with a similar description. During the retirement announcement, Biden said that: "The person I will nominate will be someone of extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity. Abrams Gardner's reasoning can be examined in the ruling itself. The Muscogee County Board of Elections determined that Russell's challenge was probably valid, and contacted those 4,033 "targeted voters" to inform them they could only cast provisional ballots, and would have to provide proof of residency. She would be the oldest new justice since Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed at age 60 in 1993. 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. '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'. 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. Gardner attended the event. For this reason, Judge Gardners impartiality might reasonably be questioned were this case to proceed before her. She challenges me from a great position and I challenge her from a good position, he said. Jackson was nominated by Obama to the federal district court in Washington, winning Senate confirmation in 2013. In a 2018 interview, Kruger told the Los Angeles Times that her approach as a judge reflects the fact that we operate in a system of precedent.. Learn more about a Bloomberg Law subscription. .widget-key { Two months later, another woman was sexually assaulted. Every opportunity I had to take a class or learn a vocation, I took advantage of it, Gardner said. S. Todd Rogers/Pool via AP. Dan Mac Guill is a former writer for Snopes. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. 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. District Judge Wilhelmina 'Mimi' Wright, Judge on Minnesota's. She studied at Vassar College and earned her law degree from New York University. Prior to being appointed to the bench, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Prior to being appointed to the bench, she was an Assistant United States Attorney. 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. Gardner was eventually released on bond on April 1, 2016, and on Sept. 7, 2016, all charges against him were dismissed. 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. [12] The vacancy was created when Willie Sands took senior status on April 12, 2014. He also formed the nonprofit Gardner House to help get people out of prison and transition back into society. State legislature | | Justice Leslie Abrams Gardner has served as a federal district court judge in Georgia since 2014. font-weight: bold; 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 'She's the perfect person to provide energy for the state of Georgia. Both are supportive of Stacey Abrams candidacy and were right by her side when she won the Georgia Democratic nomination for governor after Tuesdays primary. [15] The Senate Judiciary Committee reported Abrams to the full Senate on June 19, 2014, on a voice vote. 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'. She was appointed by former California Governor Jerry Brown and is the second-ever Black woman on that states Supreme Court. Leslie Abrams Gardner. He added: 'I learned the law through Marcus Cochran, he taught me how to review cases, he was a member of the brotherhood. While that claim was later disputed, they charged him with both assaults. Zains testimony was used to convict an estimated 136 people in the 1970s and 80s, Gardner later learned. Neither Abrams nor Fair Fight were a party to the specific case before Abrams Gardner in the Middle District of Georgia in December 2020. Circuit Court of Appeals. The judge, Leslie Abrams Gardner the sister of former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a prominent ally of President-elect Joe Biden who has led voter registration efforts across the state concluded that the counties appeared to have improperly relied on unverified change-of-address data to invalidate registrations in the two counties. Gardner, pictured with Georgia Governor candidate Stacey Abrams, said he and Leslie's relationship has the support of their families, In 2015, when Leslie Abrams was being sworn in as a US District Judge in Georgia, her older sister Stacey posted a throwback photo of them together. 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. Jimmie Gardner was released from a prison in West Virginia in 2016, 26 years after being wrongly convicted of sexual assault, robbery and unlawful entry related to break-ins in the 1980s. On Sept. 7, 2016, West Virginia prosecutors took the uncommon step of dismissing all charges against Gardner with prejudice, meaning they cant ever be filed again. .widget-row.Libertarian { from Yale University School of Law in 2002. He vowed to God that if he ever got out, hed speak for free for one year. } 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. } 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. float: right; Prior to her confirmation last summer, Jackson served as a federal district court judge from 2013 through 2021. display: block; And hes involved in multiple criminal justice reform efforts, including a seat on the board of the Georgia Innocence Project, which works to free wrongfully convicted prisoners.