That dream was deferred in 1989, when Gardner was arrested for a brutal crime he didnt commit. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. I was the only male there. font-weight: bold; Abrams Gardner's reasoning can be examined in the ruling itself. clear: both; He grew up in Tampa, Fl., where he earned good grades and was a standout on his high school baseball team. Based on his own cross-referencing of the U.S. I kept telling individuals, Im doing to fight until the day I die. 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 then wrote to the Innocence Projects all over the US and even Germany. They said his fingerprint matched one found on a vase in the first victims home. 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. A former prosecutor nominated by Obama in 2014, she became the first Black female federal judge in Georgia, winning confirmation 100-0. And he plans to keep fighting for others who are still sitting in prison cells, nursing their own deferred dreams. In a footnote to her Dec. 28 ruling, Abrams Gardner noted the request for her to recuse herself, but stated simply, "The Court has reviewed the motion and finds no basis for recusal." margin-bottom:0px; He was 49 years old when he returned home and started getting to know his daughter, who was then 31 years old. Web shopping giant PAUSES construction at huge new HQ2 near DC as bosses continue with deepest ever job cuts, Scientists urge pregnant women to avoid using plastic bottles after study finds microplastics can enter the FOETUS, 'F***ing amateur hour': Democrats fume at Biden for siding with Republicans on DC crime bill - as AOC says he should push harder for capital to become its own state. I speak about resiliency, determination, never giving up, staying positive and being thankful for the opportunities you have, he said. He said that he and Leslie are rooting for her sister Stacey Abrams in the upcoming Governor race in Georgia. But our Second Gentlemen is lecturing us about 'toxic masculinity'. 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. 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! After he was released, Gardner began working with Georgia schools, prisons and organizations as a motivational speaker and criminal-justice advocate.
float:right; U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner attracted considerable criticism when she declined to recuse herself from a challenge over voter eligibility. The comments below have been moderated in advance. 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. [15] The Senate Judiciary Committee reported Abrams to the full Senate on June 19, 2014, on a voice vote. That chatter gained volume last year when Biden tapped her to fill now-Attorney General Merrick Garlands seat on the D.C. color: white; Prior to that she was a state court trial judge after previously serving as a commissioner on the South Carolina Workers Compensation Commission and a deputy director at the state Department of Labor. [10] She received her judicial commission on November 20, 2014.[5]. 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? I have a pretty unrelenting view of justice, she said in a 2013 interview with NYU Law Magazine. font-weight: bold; He also formed the nonprofit Gardner House to help get people out of prison and transition back into society. She will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice. '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. Cities | 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. Circuit served as a springboard for future justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh. } 'The victims said the perpetrator had a light complexion, Afro-American and 6ft tall,' Gardner said. But Gardner was impressed with her accomplishments and more than a bit smitten. Celebs Wiki Leslie Abrams Gardner fans also viewed: She was also a law firm partner, focusing on labor and employment law. 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. width: 57%; In late December Biden nominated her for a spot on the D.C. A three-year-old Stacey can be seen right alongside a two-year-old Leslie center, and their older sister Andrea Abrams, aged six at the time. 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. I still haven't found a case like mine to this day,' he said. | Jimmie and Leslie Gardner met and were married after his release. '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 graduated from Brown University and Yale Law School and, as a private attorney, represented big corporations including Alphabet Inc.s Google and Bank of America Corp. He was questioned, fingerprinted and released. 'I like going back to prisons and telling them not to give up. width: 250px; 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. How to run for office | Sleek spring sweatersThese dupes are the price of the iconic sweater, but still as sleek as a slicked-back bun and hoops. 'But I've also met some of the most ingenious guys, phenomenal dudes, scientists, woodsmen, some very sharp individuals. } While working alongside schools and prisons in Georgia, he met his future wife Leslie at a gathering of black female judges. On March 11, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Abrams to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. Cochran was in prison for gang-related offenses and was part of the Aryan Brotherhood, a neo-Nazi white supremacist group. Gardner claimed he has seen a dozen murders and hundreds other die from inhuman conditions during his time in correctional facilities. His team spent the next five months preparing. 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. After his year of service ended, Gardner started a for-profit company called J.C. Gardner Speaks. color: white; 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. Thats how long some people thought it would take before a black woman even came close to the governorship in notoriously conservative Georgia. 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. I went with a friend who asked me to mingle, Gardner told the Daily Mail. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. Some people you think will be uneasy, maybe her parents won't accept me, but they did. Ifill, 59, came back to helm the LDF in 2013 after two decades teaching at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore. } I knew he was lying because I knew I hadnt committed the crime, Gardner told the Washington Post. font-weight: bold; width: 43%; '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'. 'I'll keep fighting for injustice, wrongful convictions and for people who haven't got voices,' Gardner said. The youngest is Leslie Abrams Gardner, 45, the sister of Biden vice presidential contender Stacey Abrams.width: 100%; 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. That's how I live my life. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Photographer: Tom Williams/Pool/Getty Images, Photographer: S. Todd Rogers/The Recorder/AP Photo, Photographer: Matt McClain/The Washington Post/Getty Images, President has pledged to nominate first Black female justice, Progressives want more professional diversity on court. Here are some of the people whose names have been discussed as prime candidates for an open Supreme Court seat. Used with permission. Her age will almost certainly work against her given the push by both parties for younger justices who can serve longer. color: white; Hes married to a high-profile woman whos become his biggest supporter. I never gave up, Gardner said. Gardner said it was likely 'dangerous' for Cochran to be helping him due to his connection to the white supremacist group, but they had 'respect for each other'. Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner, serves on Georgia's district court and is the sister of the voting-rights advocate Stacey Abrams. 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. 'I'm very familiar with laws, and I got talking with Leslie, we were discussing for hours about judicial laws and different processes. [14], The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for Abrams on May 13, 2014. Published: 12:37 EST, 24 May 2018 | Updated: 13:48 EST, 24 May 2018. A state judge denied his petition. Her sister Stacey Abrams is the former House Minority Leader in the Georgia General Assembly, and the Democratic nominee for governor in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election[2][3] and 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election. State executives | 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. Whether that connection, in combination with her familial relationship with Abrams Gardner, should constitute grounds for recusal, is ultimately a matter of subjective interpretation. Police interviewed all of the black players on the Charleston Wheelers, including Gardner, as part of their investigation. The defendants in the case filed a motion to request that Abrams Gardner recuse herself. If that happens, Bidens pick would be the third Black justice and the sixth woman in the courts history of more than 230 years. There are comparatively few Black women in the highest reaches of the federal judiciary. 'I had a lot of anger in my first five years, but I understood that I was in a life and death situation. I dont want to discount anyone elses experience, he said. 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. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Ukraine soldiers shoot down enemy drones with drones of their own, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA. Prior to her confirmation last summer, Jackson served as a federal district court judge from 2013 through 2021. 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. Do not sell or share my personal information. 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 . Gardner is still fighting in court today, trying to get compensation from West Virginia for the years he was wrongfully imprisoned. 'She's very experienced - numerous years in political spectrum,' Gardner said. font-weight: bold; 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. Circuit and worked in President Barack Obamas Justice Department as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel. margin-bottom: 1px; Biden could also heed calls from his liberal base to add professional diversity to a court without any former public defenders or civil rights lawyers. 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. My case lingered throughout the system for 23 years without me getting the opportunity to get a review in court.. Gardner, 47, is another judge who would be making an unlikely leap from serving on a federal district court. Given the revelations about Zains testimony, Gardner first filed for the West Virginia courts to review his conviction in 1993. background-color: #003388; Meanwhile, Gardner, who earned three degrees while he was incarcerated, is in the process of converting a building that housed an old newspaper into the Gardners House, a facility that will house formerly incarcerated people, providing them with the opportunity to find housing and jobs. Both women described their assaulters as a light-skinned black man with a narrow nose who was about 6 feet tall. But if the last few decades have taught him anything its that, while life too often isnt fair and dreams do in fact explode, they also can sometimes be put together again. Turner was one of those targeted voters. width: 250px; And on September 7, 2016, the prosecution dismissed the charges.'. While that claim was later disputed, they charged him with both assaults. .widget-row.Democratic { 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. Prior to being appointed to the bench, she was an Assistant United States Attorney. Kruger has held several high-ranking posts at the Department of Justice, font-weight: bold; Attorney Admissions; Bill of Costs Guide; CJA Attorney Information; CJA eVoucher . 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. From 2010 to 2014, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia. Two years later, in Miami, Gardner was arrested for gun possession and the police ran his fingerprints through the system. 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. Three years later, in 1993, West Virginias Supreme Court of Appeals received complaints about Zain falsifying evidence. MEGHAN MCCAIN: Ohio in a poisonous soup. Federal courts | 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! Gardner was mentioned by two or more media outlets as a possible nominee to fill Breyer's seat on the court. A former prosecutor nominated by Obama in 2014, she became the first Black female federal judge in Georgia, winning confirmation 100-0. } Gardner moved in with his mother, Gladys, upon his release - which he said felt like returning to his teenage years. 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. 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. background-color: #f9d334; [12] The vacancy was created when Willie Sands took senior status on April 12, 2014. Then Zain claimed the man identified by one of the victims couldnt have been her attacker. Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude. } 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. In November the organization announced that Ifill plans to step down in the spring after more than nine years in charge. In January, 2020, he sat in the audience as his wife gave the keynote speech during the Fowler School of Laws annual Law Review Symposium. background-color: white; During the investigation, 23-year-old Jimmie Gardner was in Kanawha City playing for a minor league baseball team after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs. } Another opinion let CNN and other media organizations use a state free speech law to block lawsuits alleging workplace bias or retaliation. State legislature | 'Rough situations - guys getting killed on the softball field, in the yard, in cells on lock down, getting stabbed or beaten to death. 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 . from Brown University in 1997 and her J.D. Zain was fired in 1993 and indicted for fraud, according to the National Registry of Exonerations at the University of Michigan. She studied at Vassar College and earned her law degree from New York University. Justice Leslie Abrams Gardner, a federal prosecutor turned federal district court judge, has had her name . [6] She received a hearing before the full panel of the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 13, 2014. To make a donation to Gardner's House, please email admin@jcgardnerspeaks.com. On Monday, November 17, 2014 cloture was invoked by a 6828 vote. Brooke Staggs covers the environment for Southern California News Groups chain of 11 newspapers. background-color: green; [2] Abrams was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 18, 2014, on a vote of 100-0. I had false evidence of DNA that incriminated me, that was a barrier to any group helping me. 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'. Neither Abrams nor Fair Fight were a party to the specific case before Abrams Gardner in the Middle District of Georgia in December 2020. He was in solitary confinement, meaning he spent 23 hours in his cell. The pair got married in November 2018, and he said, Its just been wonderful ever since. Gardner is the sister of Stacey Abrams who has led the effort to register voters in the state. [7] On June 19, 2014, her nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote. Thats also how long a judge sentenced an innocent man to serve in prison. She would bring another dimension of diversity to the Supreme Court as a former public defender. He is also involved in the Innocence Project, an organization that takes on cases in hopes of freeing people who have been wrongly convicted. } } A feud could start out of nowhere. 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. Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and Leslie Abrams Gardner are indeed sisters. Circuit that is due to open up in February when Judge David Tatel assumes senior status. From October 2016 to October 2017, with support from family and advocates, he volunteered to share his story and to advocate for social justice reform everywhere he could. I just try to be a good person, I try to treat people with respect.'. AP Photo/Charles Dharapak. Ballot measures, Who represents me? 'I've seen 18-year-olds come in and get a hit put on them and get killed. In May 1987, a mother and her daughter were robbed, beaten, and the latter raped at their home in Charleston. She is the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant mother and a Jewish father, both pediatricians. [3], Gardner earned her B.A. Gardner is the sister of Democratic activist and failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Dan Mac Guill is a former writer for Snopes. 'It's depicted in the Hollywood film as it is, it's not fun, it's not blown out of proportion, it's just like that. She is a former professor who spent 20 years at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore. 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. She can go on to the be the first black female governor in the United States.'. United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, .infobox { Donald Trump Jr. wrote "Nothing shady here", Doug Collins, the outgoing Republican congressman who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2020, said Abrams Gardner should recuse herself from the case because "her own sister is a party!". 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. 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. It can happen at any time. Sherrilyn Ifill is the head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and another person who has support from some members of the CBC. Circuit Court of Appeals. 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. Her age -- she is the youngest of Bidens potential picks -- means she could easily serve for three decades or more on the high court.
} 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. font-weight: bold; But Ive had a pleasant experience and I look forward to attracting more individuals that look like me to come to Chapman.. The federal judge denied Gardners initial petition but assigned him a federal defender and agreed to let them present his case in court. Biden in April selected Ifill to serve on a panel convened to study potential changes to the high court. Some other possible front-runners include 45-year-old California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger and Georgia U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner, who is 47 and the sister of Stacey Abrams, who is running for governor in Georgia. Gardner is the daughter of the Reverend Carolyn and the Reverend Robert Abrams, originally of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. 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. Her husband was wrongly imprisoned for 26 years for a rape and robbery he didnt commit before getting exonerated. ', When he was released from prison,Gardner moved in with his mother, Gladys, upon his release - which he said felt like returning to his teenage years, Gardner, who has not received compensation from West Virginia for the false imprisonment, jumped right into his new life and forged a career as a motivational speaker and an advocate for the wrongly convicted, Gardner is pictured above at the Georgia General Assembly in Atlanta, with state rep Darrel Ealum. 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. 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. .widget-key { Elections in 2023 | But Collins undoubtedly erred when he claimed that "Stacey Abramss sister is ruling on a case in which her own sister is a party!". She would be the youngest Supreme Court nominee since 43-year-old Thomas was selected in 1991. }, Leslie Abrams Gardner is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. [16], The United States Senate confirmed Abrams on November 18, 2014, on a vote of 100-0.[3]. He died while awaiting trial. Her Supreme Court cases came while she was in the solicitor generals office, where she was named acting principal deputy solicitor general. 'I was stuck for 23 years in state court. Gardner said he has heard about Chapmans struggles to attract and support Black students. It will mean a long distance relationship with his wife for a few months, though he suspects shell visit often. 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. Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner, the sister of former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, found that the counties seemed to have improperly relied on unverified change-of-address data to. Abrams Gardner added that "an order detailing the court's reasoning" was forthcoming. 'She's the perfect person to provide energy for the state of Georgia. Leslie J. Abrams was a U.S. attorney until she was nominated by President Barack Obama for a federal judgeship in Georgia's Middle District. He vowed to God that if he ever got out, hed speak for free for one year. 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. He was acknowledged at the assembly in February 2018 and received a house resolution commending him. Jackson received both her undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University. She received a Juris Doctor in 2002 from Yale Law School. On March 25, 2016, the judge ruled in his favor. 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. 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. margin-bottom: 0; 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. Jackson received both her undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University.. Before that she worked as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's . display: block; Gardner wasn't incarcerated until years later when officers took DNA from him again during questioning, Gardner, is pictured above second from left at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex in 2002. 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.
