Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice abandons Democratic Party over 'hateful anti-Jewish' positions

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht has quit the Democratic Party over what he called "hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions." 

Wecht's statement Monday on leaving the party recounts how he married his wife at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Congregation, which was the site of a mass shooting that claimed 11 lives in 2018. 

"That terror came from the right. Jew-hatred has always festered on the fringe of that sector. In the years that have followed, that same hatred has grown on the left. Increasingly, it has moved from the fringe to the mainstream," Wecht said. 

He said that the Democratic Party today minimizes, and even coddles "Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues." 

"Acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party," Wecht said. 

Wecht is no longer registered within any party, he said.