Legal cases in Missouri have captured local and national headlines this month. Sarah Fenske hosted St. Louis on the Air’s monthly Legal Roundtable, featuring attorneys Sarah Swatosh, Bill Freivogel and Arindam Kar.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, the subject of several past Legal Roundtable discussions, is back in the news. This week, two St. Louis judges have ordered her to court to explain why she should not be found in contempt. On Thursday, Judge Michael Noble began the process to hold Gardner and her deputy, Chris Desilets, in "indirect criminal contempt" because Desilets missed a trial and a hearing this week related to an armed robbery case.
“The circuit attorney’s office appears to be a rudderless ship of chaos,” Noble said Thursday in issuing his order.
Along with the ongoing situation in the circuit attorney’s office, the panel analyzed the case of a Missouri homeowner who shot a teenager who rang his doorbell. The shooting has sparked outrage across the country — and raised questions about Missouri’s castle doctrine and stand-your-ground laws.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
