Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht announced Monday that he is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent, saying anti-Jewish rhetoric has become more tolerated within parts of the political left.
Wecht, who was first elected to Pennsylvania’s high court as a Democrat in 2015 and won retention to another 10-year term last year, said his decision stemmed from what he described as the party’s growing tolerance for anti-Jewish rhetoric and activism.
In a public statement released Monday, the longtime Democrat said he could no longer remain affiliated with the party under current conditions.
“I can no longer abide by this. So, I won’t. I am no longer registered within any political party,” Wecht said.
He added that the change would not affect how he approaches cases on the bench.
“My jurisprudence and adjudication have always been independent, and they always will be. Now, my voting registration reflects that independence as well.”
Wecht cited what he described as a broader political environment where antisemitic behavior is frequently minimized or overlooked by political activists and public figures.
In his statement, he referenced “Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues,” arguing that such behavior is increasingly minimized or excused within parts of the Democratic coalition, Reuters reported.
The justice also reflected on the 2018 massacre at Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, where 11 worshippers were killed in the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history.
Wecht, who once served on the synagogue’s board and was married there in 1998, said antisemitism was no longer isolated to extremist elements on the political right.
While he acknowledged the attack itself originated from a far-right extremist, he argued anti-Jewish hostility has increasingly surfaced within left-wing activism in recent years.
“In the years that have followed, that same hatred has grown on the left,” Wecht wrote. “Increasingly, it has moved from the fringe to the mainstream.”
Several reports connected Wecht’s remarks to controversy surrounding Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, who faced backlash last year over a tattoo critics linked to Nazi imagery.
Platner later said he was unaware of the symbol’s historical associations and subsequently had the tattoo covered.
Wecht’s decision has also renewed debate inside Democratic politics over antisemitism and internal party disputes surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict and campus-style protest movements across the country.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who has frequently defended Israel and occasionally broken with progressives in his party, responded on X by writing, “The Democratic Party must confront its own rising antisemitism problem.”
Fetterman also stated that he does not plan to leave the party himself, Spotlight PA noted.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, another prominent Jewish Democrat, previously acknowledged concerns about antisemitism on both the political left and right, arguing earlier this year that there should be “no place for it” anywhere in American politics, according to Newsweek.
Wecht’s departure will not immediately change the ideological balance of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
NBC 10 reported that Democrats still hold a majority on the seven-member court, though the breakdown now stands at four Democrats, two Republicans, and one independent justice.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party did not immediately respond to requests for comment following Wecht’s announcement.
