Robert F. Rossiter Jr. is the new chief U.S. district judge for the District of Nebraska, succeeding John M. Gerrard effective Thursday.

The count announced the change Wednesday morning. Gerrard will remain on the federal bench on active status. The chief judge oversees the administrative operations of the court

Gerrard was appointed to the District Court on Feb. 6, 2012, and he became chief judge on Nov. 1, 2018. Rossiter has served as a district judge for more than five years.

Rossiter was nominated by President Barack Obama on June 11, 2015, based on the recommendation of Sens. Mike Johanns and Deb Fischer. The Senate confirmed him on June 27, 2016.

“I take this opportunity to publicly thank Judge Gerrard for his leadership during one of the most challenging times our world and our District has seen,” Rossiter said in a statement. “His steady hand and proactive approach to handling the COVID-19 challenges we faced for the last year-and-a-half kept us operating and in a much better position than most of our peer courts. He also dealt with extraordinary issues such as the untimely death of our friend and esteemed colleague Laurie Smith Camp. He also presided over the integration of services between the Bankruptcy Court and our District Court.”

Prior to serving as judge, Judge Rossiter practiced law for three decades at Fraser Stryker law firm and was an adjunct professor at the Creighton University School of Law for over 15 years.

 “Judge Rossiter has been an outstanding District Judge since June 29, 2016, and we have been working toward a smooth leadership transition over the last several weeks,” Gerrard said in a statement. “I do not anticipate any major changes over the next several months and court operations should proceed status quo for the foreseeable future. Judge Rossiter has earned all of our trust and great confidence over the past several years – the transition should be seamless.”