Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht Leaves Democratic Party

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.

His mother and his father's parents immigrated to the United States seeking refuge and opportunity. His mother and father both served in the armed forces of the United States. Wecht first became a member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court through a partisan election.

He was first elected to the court in 2015 and assumed office on January 7, 2016. His current term ends on December 31, 2035. Wecht won re-election for judge of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the retention election on November 4, 2025.

In a 2020 Ballotpedia study examining the partisan affiliation of state supreme court justices, Wecht received a confidence score of Strong Democrat based on his past partisan behavior before joining the court. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices are elected officials, first elected in clearly partisan elections unlike federal judges.

Wecht stated that as a jurist he always has and always will vindicate the legal rights that haters and extremists of all stripes enjoy in the country and in the Commonwealth.

He emphasized that he is confined to a judicial role and in that role maintains independence at all times and in all respects. His voting registration now reflects that independence as well. " He expressed hope that Pennsylvanians and Americans of all viewpoints and backgrounds will oppose and resist the scourge of Jew-hatred before it undermines what ancestors have built.

He warned that almost all great civilizations of the past have deteriorated and declined when Jew-hatred grew and metastasized. com reported the full text of Wecht's statement along with details from his Ballotpedia entry.