Kim Gardner, the top prosecutor for the city of St. Louis, announced her immediate resignation on Tuesday, about two weeks earlier than previously announced.
Gardner resigned after facing an effort by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to remove her from office. In February, Bailey filed a writ of quo warranto accusing Gardner of having "refused to perform her duties" as the city's top prosecutor. Multiple prosecutors left Gardner's office in the following weeks and a St. Louis judge later described the situation as a "rudderless ship of chaos."
In a statement, Gardner's office said: "The Circuit Attorney has worked with St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell and his office to ensure a comprehensive transition plan is in place to handle cases that prioritizes public safety. Effective immediately, Kimberly M. Gardner will end her service as the City of St. Louis Circuit Attorney. Ms. Gardner has been committed to serving the people of the City of St. Louis and has done all she can to ensure a smooth transition. Further inquiries about ongoing cases can be directed to St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office."
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said in a statement that his office accounted for the chance that Gardner would resign earlier than scheduled and said that "nothing" about the plan to replace her has changed.
"Nothing has changed in our plan other than she has resigned today, which just implements that we are going to move that plan forward to what we're doing," Parson said.
"So, with the resignation today, that changes the scenario somewhat. We will advance that pick; hopefully, by this Friday, I will be able to pick that person. In the meantime, we will ask the Attorney General's Office to assist in the prosecutor's office, which is the right format to do that until we make that pick on Friday."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.