John Gerrard, ’81, is a justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court. The youngest person ever to be appointed to that state’s high bench, he has had an impact both on the cases that have come before that seven-member body and that state’s legal policies and practices. Prior to his appointment to the high court in 1995 by then Governor Ben Nelson, Gerrard was in private practice for 14 years in Norfolk. The small-city practice gave him a chance to litigate all types of cases, from criminal to personal injury and product liability. During those years he also served as legal counsel to several school districts and the city of Battle Creek.