John M. Gerrard

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.

Education and legal career
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. 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.

Nebraska Supreme Court
In 1995, 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.

Federal judicial service
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. 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 74–16 vote. He received his commission on February 6, 2012. He served as chief judge from 2018 to 2021. Gerrard assumed senior status on February 6, 2023.