Hon. Ryan K. Gardner is a judge for the Marion County Superior Court in Indiana. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Eric Holcomb in 2020, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. David J. Dreyer (Ret.).
Gardner has held an assignment in the Family Division. Prior to his appointment, he presided as a magistrate for the Marion County Superior Court, having served in that capacity since 2019.
Before that, Gardner managed his own private practice, Ryan Gardner, P.C., since 2008. While operating his firm, he also served as a contract attorney in the Juvenile Division of the Marion County Public Defender Agency (2008 to 2013) and a staff attorney with Child Advocates, Inc. (2013 to 2019). He was an associate at Lewis Wagner, LLP for four years before opening his law firm (2004 to 2008).
Gardner received a B.A. in African-American and diaspora studies from Indiana University in 2000. He went on to complete a J.D. at Indiana University, Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2004.
Gardner was admitted to practice in Indiana (2004), the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (2004), and the United States District Court for the Nothern District of Indiana (2004).
He served as a member of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Commission on Race and Gender Fairness and its Race, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative. Gardner was the founding board member of the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana and provided pro bono legal assistance through Legal Aid Project, the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, and the Marion County Bar Association.
He was born in Gary, Indiana. Gardner and his wife, Shayla, have three sons.
