Gabriel Gore, ’94, Appointed St. Louis Circuit Attorney
Gov. Parson names attorney Gabe Gore to replace Kim Gardner as circuit attorney
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday appointed Gabe Gore, a civil attorney with deep civic connections here, to rebuild a city prosecutor’s office in disarray following the abrupt resignation of Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner earlier this week.
Gore, 54, has been a partner at the high-powered and politically connected Dowd Bennett law firm for years, served on the Ferguson Commission following protests over the 2014 death of Michael Brown and worked as an assistant U.S. attorney prosecutor in the 1990s.
“We believe Mr. Gore is a qualified and experienced leader our great city of St. Louis needs for this new day and this historical opportunity for change,” Parson said at a St. Louis courthouse Friday.
Gore’s appointment comes at the end of a chaotic week in the city courts. Gardner abruptly resigned on Tuesday, about two weeks earlier than expected, leaving the office without a permanent leader. Parson tapped his general counsel to serve as an interim circuit attorney until he could appoint a replacement and asked Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office for help handling cases.
Gore will take over an office that has roughly a third of the staff attorneys as when Gardner took office in 2017 with a fraction of the experience. He will grapple with cases that have been repeatedly delayed due to understaffing, a backlog that still hasn’t been cleared since the COVID-19 pandemic, and thousands of charges submitted by police that haven’t yet been reviewed.
Gore pledged to focus on growing a dedicated staff while fostering relationships with the community and regional leaders.
“Working together, I am confident that we can build a prosecutor’s office here that is one of the highest performing in the country,” he said.
Leaders throughout the region, including business groups, law enforcement and both Democratic and Republican politicians, applauded Parson’s choice.
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