Justice David Wecht said he is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent, citing what he calls a disturbing rise of antisemitism among mainstream Democratic figures. A longtime Democrat elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2015, Wecht pointed to the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue massacre and recent controversies—such as a Maine candidate's Nazi-symbol tattoo—as evidence the problem has spread beyond the fringes. His party switch is not expected to materially change the court's balance; four of seven justices remain registered Democrats.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht Leaves Democratic Party Citing Rise in Antisemitism
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht announced on Monday that he is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent, saying he can no longer tolerate what he described as a growing tolerance for antisemitism among prominent Democratic figures.
Wecht, who was elected to the court as a Democrat in 2015 and won a 10-year retention vote last November, issued a statement saying an "acquiescence to Jew-hatred" has become "disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party."
"I can no longer abide this. So, I won’t. I am no longer registered within any political party," Wecht said.
Historically, Wecht said he considered antisemitism to be most dangerous on the fringes of the right—a view sharpened after the 2018 mass shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, a congregation where he was married and where he previously served on the board. But in his statement he warned that since 2018 "that same hatred has grown on the left" and "increasingly, it has moved from the fringe to the mainstream."
Wecht pointed to recent controversies as examples, including revelations about Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner, who acknowledged last October that he had once received a tattoo while serving in the U.S. military in Croatia that included a widely recognized Nazi symbol. Platner has said he did not know the symbol’s Nazi associations and covered the tattoo shortly after acknowledging it publicly.
Wecht’s statement criticized what he described as the minimization or tolerance of anti-Jewish conduct: "Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, and other hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions are minimized, ignored, and even coddled."
His change of registration is not expected to substantially alter the court’s operations. After Wecht's switch, four justices who remain registered as Democrats occupy seats on the seven-member Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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