John M. Gerrard

Gerrard graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Science in 1976; from the University of Arizona with a Masters in Public Administration in 1977; and from McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific with a Juris Doctor in 1981. He is a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.[1]

In 1995, Nebraska Governor Ben Nelson appointed Gerrard to the Nebraska Supreme Court.[2] At 41 years of age, Gerrard was the youngest ever appointee to the Nebraska Supreme Court.[2] He left the court in 2012 upon appointment to the federal bench. Prior to becoming a Supreme Court justice, he was in private practice in Norfolk, Nebraska from 1981 to 1995 and was City Attorney for Battle Creek, Nebraska from 1982 to 1995.[2][1]

In January 2011, Ben Nelson, at that time a United States Senator from Nebraska, recommended Gerrard to fill a judicial seat on the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska that would be vacated later that year by Judge Richard G. Kopf.[2] On May 4, 2011, President Barack Obama formally nominated Gerrard to replace Kopf on the federal bench.[3][4] The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary reported Gerrard's nomination to the Senate floor on October 13, 2011. The Senate confirmed Gerrard's nomination on January 23, 2012, by a vote of 74 ayes to 16 nays. He received his commission on February 6, 2012.[1] He served as Chief Judge from 2018 to 2021.[1] On February 7, 2022, he announced his intent to take senior status in 2023.[5]

• Nebraska Supreme Court

• John M. Gerrard at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• John Gerrard at Ballotpedia
• State Judicial Branch. Legislature of Nebraska. Accessed 2011-02-01.
• Honorable John M. Gerrard. Nebraska Supreme Court. Accessed 2011-02-01.
• Phi Kappa Tau Hall of Fame. Phi Kappa Tau. Accessed 2011-02-01.