In 2017, Judge Whelan was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County and commenced his ten (10) year trial term on January 1, 2018. He originally served in the family division and has been reassigned to the civil litigation division as of January 1, 2019. Previous to his election as Judge, he served as the District Attorney of Delaware County from January, 2012 through December 31, 2017.
Judge Whelan was a respected practicing attorney for over 30 years, and led the firm of Whelan, Doyle & Pressman LLC in the area of civil litigation, municipal representation and decedent estates. Before becoming District Attorney, Judge Whelan served as Chairman of Delaware County Council, which oversees the county government operations that serve the 550,000 residents of Delaware County. He was first elected to a four-year term on County Council in 2005, was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2009 and took the oath office in January 2010.
As District Attorney and Chief Law Enforcement Officer for Delaware County, he had taken the lead on many public safety initiatives. In September 2012, Judge Whelan formed the Delaware County Heroin Task Force to raise awareness about the epidemic of prescription drug and heroin abuse impacting the nation and the county. As chairman of the Heroin Task Force, he had been the driving force behind several opioid prevention and awareness initiatives that have received state-wide recognition.
A graduate of Temple University School of Law, he also has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Temple University. He and his wife Peg live in Ridley Township and have four children.