ST. LOUIS–A trial to determine if St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner should remain in office or be removed under proceedings launched by the state attorney general's office was tentatively scheduled for September 25 following a lengthy court hearing Tuesday afternoon.

Missouri Appeals Court Judge John Paul Torbitzky heard arguments from lawyers representing Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Gardner, current employees of the Circuit Attorney's Office, a now-former violent crimes prosecutor who resigned last week, and a lawyer representing the judges of the 22nd Circuit Court.

Torbitzky made no rulings on any of the motions presented to quash subpoenas or to dismiss the case. The state responded Monday to Gardner's April 11 reply to an amended Quo Warranto filing where the state laid out 10 counts calling for Gardner's removal. Her attorneys have chafed at a set of subpoenas which they've described as "a fishing expedition" that could take a massive amount of time to produce.

Torbitzky is giving the Circuit Attorney's Office seven days to reply to the Attorney General's Monday pleading, and has promised a swift ruling on the motion to dismiss, and subpoena-related issues.

"The people of the state and the city want an answer sooner than later," Torbitzky said. "This is something where time is of the essence."

A three-count Quo Warranto complaint was first filed Feb. 23 and was later amended to ten counts. Gardner responded to the amended filing last week.

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