United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, .infobox { } U.S. Congress | 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. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. But while the federal judge had vacated his convictions, West Virginia opted to retry Gardner on all charges. 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. 'I like going back to prisons and telling them not to give up. Leslie Abrams Gardner, United States District Court for the Middle While working alongside schools and prisons in Georgia, he met his future wife Leslie at a gathering of black female judges. color: white; 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. vertical-align: top; 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. He fought his conviction through numerous delays, even writing President Barack Obama, who could not pardon people convicted in state courts. Every opportunity I had to take a class or learn a vocation, I took advantage of it, Gardner said. The case involving Abrams and Fair Fight was overseen by a different judge in a different court. Gardner is the daughter of the Reverend Carolyn and the Reverend Robert Abrams, originally of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. .widget-row.Republican { Abrams interest could therefore be substantially affected by the outcome of this proceeding. She will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice. WOW! Georgia Judge Who Also Is Stacy Abrams' Sister BLOCKS Elections 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.

What Chicago Police Zone Am I In, Club Renaissance Menu, Is She Testing Me By Pulling Away, Who Played Marigold In Till Death Us Do Part, Articles L