Warren Dee Welliver

Warren Dee Welliver (February 24, 1920 – October 29, 2007) was judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri from 1979 until 1989. As a judge, he established Comparative Negligence as a defense in civil tort lawsuits, overruling the older Contributory Negligence standard.^[3] 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.^[3] Judge Welliver was also known for his strong stances in favor of protecting a criminal defendant's rights at trial,^[4] and his opposition to the Missouri Plan.^[5]