Career
As a judge, he established Comparative Negligence as a defense in civil tort lawsuits, overruling the older Contributory Negligence standard. Judge Welliver was also famously passed up for Chief Justice. Traditionally the judges take turns in the two-year job but Welliver was bypassed for the position.
Judge Welliver was also known for his strong stances in favor of protecting a criminal defendant"s rights at trial, and his opposition to the Missouri Plan.
