Wecht said his registration change reflects judicial independence and his concern that antisemitism has become more accepted in the party.
On Monday, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht announced he dropped his Democratic Party registration and became unaffiliated, citing concerns over rising antisemitism within the party.
Wecht previously served as the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's vice chair 25 years ago but stated the party has changed, with hateful anti-Jewish invective now "minimized, ignored, and even coddled" by officials.
Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Congregation hosted Wecht's 1998 wedding, twenty years before the synagogue shooting. He noted right-wing ideology drove that attack, but believes antisemitism "has grown on the left."
Despite his registration change, Wecht was retained for a second 10-year term last November, and Democrats retain a 4-2 majority over Republicans on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Wecht affirmed his "jurisprudence and adjudication have always been independent, and they always will be," and urged Pennsylvanians to resist antisemitism before it "undermines what our ancestors have built here.