Summary Bio

John Gerrard, ’81, is a judge of the U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, one of only six judges on that court. President Barack Obama, on the recommendation of Senator Ben Nelson, formally nominated him in October 2011, and Gerrard won U.S. Senate confirmation in January 2012. Prior to his service on the federal bench, Gerrard served on the Nebraska Supreme Court for 17 years. He was appointed to that state high court by then-Governor Nelson at the age of 41, making Gerrard the youngest-ever member of that bench. Gerrard began his legal career as a private attorney in Norfolk, Nebraska, where for 14 years he litigated a variety of cases, from criminal to personal injury to product liability.