2010

Judge Welsh was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District in 2007. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautics from St. Louis University-Parks College of Engineering, Aviation & Technology, and received his law degree from St. Louis University.

Before his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Judge Welsh served as a circuit judge in the 7th Judicial Circuit (Clay County) from 1988-2007, and as an associate circuit judge from 1985-1988. Prior to that time, he was in the private practice of law from 1976-1985, which included service as municipal judge (1983-1985). He also served as a law clerk to the Missouri Court of Appeals-Western District.

Judge Welsh’s community service includes involvement with the St. James Church in Liberty. His activities in the legal community include membership in the Clay County and Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Associations. As a judge, he is a past president of the Missouri Circuit Judges Association, served as treasurer and secretary of the Missouri Municipal and Associate Circuit Judges Association, and has been appointed to several judicial committees.

On The Missouri Bar’s 2010 Appellate Court Evaluation Survey, attorneys who responded to survey questions rated Judge Welsh on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing “not at all” and 5 representing “completely.”

Judge Welsh received his highest scores for being courteous toward attorneys (4.64), treating all parties equally regardless of race, sex or economic status (4.64), and allowing parties to present their arguments and answers (4.62). Judge Welsh was not rated below a 4.00 in any category.

The committee also reviewed opinions written by Judge Welsh. Those opinions appeared to be in accordance with constitutional and statutory law. The opinions generally provided detailed explanations for Judge Welsh’s opinion, whether representing a majority, concurring, or dissenting view.