John M. Gerrard | |
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Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska | |
Assumed office February 6, 2023 | |
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska | |
In office November 1, 2018 – July 15, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Laurie Smith Camp |
Succeeded by | Robert F. Rossiter Jr. |
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska | |
In office February 6, 2012 – February 6, 2023 | |
Appointed by | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Richard G. Kopf |
Succeeded by | Susan M. Bazis |
Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court | |
In office 1995–2012 | |
Appointed by | Ben Nelson |
Preceded by | C. Thomas White |
Succeeded by | William B. Cassel |
Personal details | |
Born | John Melvin Gerrard November 2, 1953 Schuyler, Nebraska, U.S. |
Education | |
John Melvin Gerrard (born November 2, 1953) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska.
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] Prior to joining the bench, he was in private practice in Norfolk, Nebraska from 1981 to 1995 and was city attorney for Battle Creek, Nebraska from 1982 to 1995. [1] [2]
In 1995, 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.
In January 2011, then Senator Ben Nelson, recommended Gerrard to fill a 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 74–16 vote. [5] He received his commission on February 6, 2012. [1] He served as chief judge from 2018 to 2021. [1] Gerrard assumed senior status on February 6, 2023. [1] [6]