John M. Gerrard

John Gerrard
File:John M. Gerrard.jpg
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska
Incumbent
Assumed office February 6, 2012
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Richard Kopf
Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court
In office 1995–2012
Appointed by	Ben Nelson
Preceded by	Thomas White
Succeeded by	William Cassel
Personal details
Born	(1953-11-02) November 2, 1953 Schuyler, Nebraska, U.S.
Alma mater	Nebraska Wesleyan University University of Arizona University of the Pacific

John Melvin Gerrard (born November 2, 1953) is a District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska.

Early life and education

Gerrard is a graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University (B.S.), 1976; University of Arizona, Masters in Public Administration, 1977; and McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific (J.D.), 1981. He is a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.

Nebraska Supreme Court

In 1995, Nebraska Governor Ben Nelson appointed Gerrard to the Nebraska Supreme Court. At 41 years of age, Gerrard was the youngest ever appointee to the Nebraska Supreme Court. 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.

Federal judicial service

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. On May 4, 2011, President Barack Obama formally nominated Gerrard to replace Kopf on the federal bench.

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.

See also

• Nebraska Supreme Court

External links

• John M. Gerrard at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• 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.

Legal offices
Preceded by Thomas White	Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court 1995–2012	Succeeded by William Cassel
Preceded by Richard Kopf	Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska 2012–present	Incumbent