For Judge Jeffrey Welbaum, the most interesting part of his work on the Second District Court of Appeals is listening to oral arguments. Each case presents intrigue with the possibility of hearing an unexpected or novel legal claim. To him, it’s like when he’s scuba diving in the ocean, 80 feet beneath the surface.
“You might as well be on a different planet because of the creatures you see and how the laws of physics are so different from what we’re used to on land,” said Judge Welbaum, who has been on the Second District since 2013.
The judge’s scuba diving days began approximately 30 years ago. He tried it at the suggestion of a friend who owned a lake in Piqua. Since then, he’s had hundreds of dives across the world where he’s hunted for lobsters, seen the remains of sunken World War II ships and submarines, and swam among sharks.
“I was with a group in Hawaii when we spotted a whale shark beneath us that was 30 to 35 feet long. It wanted to check us out, so it came toward us. We swam out of its way as it went right by us. It was so close we could touch it,” said Judge Welbaum.
The judge’s exploratory nature can also be seen throughout his experience in the legal profession. Before the Second District, he was a private attorney, assistant public defender, assistant prosecutor, elected prosecutor, and common pleas judge in Miami County. The perspective from all those positions serves as an additional tool to navigate complex appellate arguments.
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