politics
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht Leaves Democratic Party
Justice David Wecht announced he is no longer registered with any political party, citing what he described as growing antisemitism that has moved into the mainstream of the Democratic Party. The longtime jurist, who won retention in November 2025, made the statement in his personal capacity while emphasizing the independence of his judicial work.
May 11, 3:00 PM·2m read2 sources
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Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht announced he is no longer registered within any political party, citing acquiescence to antisemitism that he said has become disturbingly common among activists, leaders and many elected officials in the Democratic Party.
Wecht issued the statement in his personal capacity, making clear it was not on behalf of the Supreme Court or any other institution. "I can no longer abide this.
So, I won't," he stated. He added that his jurisprudence and adjudication have always been independent and always will be. The justice noted that from 1998 to 2001 he served as Vice-Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, years that preceded his judicial career.
In the quarter century that has passed since then, the Democratic Party has changed, he said. "Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, and other hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions are minimized, ignored, and even coddled," Wecht stated.
"In the years that have followed, that same hatred has grown on the left. " Wecht's personal connection to the issue runs deep. In 1998, he and his wife were married at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Congregation, on whose Board of Trustees he served.
Twenty years later, in the very same sanctuary where their wedding occurred, the worst massacre of Jews in American history was perpetrated in 2018. That terror came from the right, he noted, adding that Jew-hatred has always festered on the fringe of that sector. The justice's family history also informs his views.
