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Jeff Nance is originally from Charleston, South Carolina, served in the Sydney Australia Mission, and graduated from Brigham Young University in Political Science as an ROTC scholarship student, and from BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. He served in the 101st Airborne Division, then in many capacities in Okinawa, Japan, in the civilian personnel branch, and later in Bad Kreuznach, Germany and Vicenza, Italy. He served as the Chief, Military Justice and then Chief of Operational Law of V Corps and deployed to Iraq, where he oversaw the initial reconstitution of the Iraqi criminal courts system. Back in the United States, he served as USATDS Region II Regional Defense Counsel before being selected to serve as a Military Judge. Promoted to Colonel, he was transferred back to Germany and deployed several times to preside over scores of courts-martial in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. He later served as Circuit Judge and then as Chief Circuit Judge in the 3rd Judicial Circuit and 2nd Judicial Circuit.

In his 13+ years as a military judge, Colonel Nance presided over hundreds of courts-martial, including some of the Army’s most complex and high-profile cases. After retiring from active duty in October 2018, he was sworn in as an Immigration Judge with the Department of Justice.

Being in the Army for 30 years and living all over the world has given Jeff and his wife Jeneen many service opportunities. He is currently serving as a bishop in his eighth bishopric and has served as a nursery leader, youth Sunday School teacher, primary teacher, elders quorum president, high priest group leader, and stake high counselor. Jeff and Jeneen are the proud parents of three children and three grandchildren.

Highlights

02:00 Kurt shares Jeff’s background and how they met.

06:00 Jeff shares his schooling and career path to becoming a judge in the military.

21:10 The last case that Jeff worked on was the very high profile case, United States vs. Bergdahl. Jeff shares some of the background of the case.

31:20 After getting out of the military Jeff was called as bishop in Charleston. He describes his experience of getting called.

37:10 Advice to those that have to judge. Being a judge in Israel is helping people to repent. Where do justice and mercy come together?

40:30 How do you balance justice and mercy? It’s not just about paying the price for what they’ve done. It’s about being redeemed. You must judge each case differently.

46:20 The process of making decisions when judging. How do you know you are making the right decision? Jeff shares the “Oliver principle” taught through Joseph Smith.

52:50 Impossible calls to make. Jeff talks about having doubts about decisions that he made but how he finds peace with it also.

56:00 Reprove with sharpness only when the spirit indicates to do so.

1:01:45 The church system versus the legal system. Jesus always leaned towards mercy.

1:05:00 Our role 99% of the time is to help people apply the Atonement. Leaders need to discuss what things that person needs for repentance and in some cases what needs to be done to protect the name of the church.

1:07:50 Jeff’s experience in the church helped him more in his career than his career has helped him in the church.

1:09:30 Jeff shares his final thoughts and the biggest things that he has learned in his time in leadership.