Thank you for the honor of serving as your circuit judge

For the past five years, I have been privileged to serve the people of Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Perry Counties as Circuit Judge of the 32nd Judicial Circuit. I am very grateful to Gov. Parson and the members of the Appellate Judicial Commission for the opportunity to continue my public service on the Missouri Court of Appeals.

As I transition to this new role, I want to thank the people of this area for their support and for the honor of serving as Circuit Judge. It seems just like yesterday that Kristi and I were knocking on doors throughout the 32nd Judicial Circuit -- everywhere from Perryville to Pocahontas to Leopold. We met so many wonderful people along the way -- and ate a lot of good food at all the church dinners! Some people shared deeply personal stories with us about their families' interactions with our justice system. I remember a few special moments when I knocked on someone's door to tell them I was running for judge and they asked me to pray with them. It was very humbling to see how much the people of our area care about our court system and the impact it has on people's lives.

I'm very grateful to all of the dedicated people I have worked with over the past five years. We have a wonderful group of judges, court staff, probation officers and attorneys in our area. They work hard every day to see that justice is done.

Some final thoughts: During my time on the bench, I have seen an alarming increase in cases involving heroin and fentanyl. I am very concerned. A number of individuals I have had on probation have died of overdoses. These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them. They had fallen into addiction, but they were good people who had potential. I have seen many people turn the corner and beat addiction, but it is very difficult -- especially when you are dealing with heroin. I urge all parents to talk to their children about the dangers of drugs. Do not assume that your child will never be tempted to experiment with them. If there is one thing I have learned over the past five years, it is that any family -- any family -- can be impacted by the horrors of drug addiction.

Thank you again for the honor of serving as your Circuit Judge, and may God bless you all.

Michael E. Gardner is a circuit judge for the 32nd Judicial Circuit and was recently appointed to serve in the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District.