In 2015, Judge David Wecht was elected as a Democrat to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after three vacancies, some of which were caused by scandal and controversy: Justice Seamus McCaffrey resigned abruptly over an email scandal involving shared pornography. Justice Joan Orie Melvin resigned two years earlier, following a corruption scandal involving her sisters. Then-Chief Justice Ronald Castille faced mandatory retirement. As you might have guessed, it was a Democratic sweep of all three seats. The court now has a 5-2 Democratic majority. It’s now 4-2-1, as Wecht has decided to leave the Democratic Party for an obvious reason.
It’s simple: today’s Democratic Party is filled with antisemites. Wecht sees the decision as a blessing, acknowledging it now truly reflects his judicial independence. He noted how these antics were once on the fringe—that’s no longer the case (via ABC 27):
Inbox: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht, first elected as a Democrat in 2015 and retained last year, says in a statement he is "no longer registered within any political party," because "acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common" in the Democratic Party. pic.twitter.com/DqrqEiiq5K
— Stephen Caruso (@StephenJ_Caruso) May 11, 2026
Justice David Wecht: "Acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party. I can no longer abide this"
— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) May 11, 2026
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht says he’s no longer a registered Democrat amid what he called “anti-Jewish” actions.
Wecht, who says the statement was made in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the court, says he’s no longer registered with any political party.
A former Vice-Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, Wecht shared how he and his wife were married at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Congregation, the site of the 2018 massacre in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
[…]
“In the quarter century that has passed since then, the Democratic Party has changed,” Wecht wrote. “Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, and other hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions are minimized, ignored, and even coddled. Acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party.”
Damn. But good for you, Mr. Justice.
