[1] Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Nickerson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia in 1955 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1962.

He was a United States Coast Guard Lieutenant from 1955 to 1959.

He was an associate judge of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, Maryland from 1985 to 1990.

[2] Nickerson was nominated by President George H. W. Bush on January 24, 1990, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland vacated by Juge Herbert Frazier Murray.

He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 11, 1990, and received his commission on May 14, 1990.