Pennsylvania Democratic voters had an unpleasant surprise recently as local Supreme Court justice David Wecht left the Democratic Party one year after being re-elected. This sparked outrage among Pennsylvania Democrats, as it was considered a betrayal after the party helped him to secure the seat.
As reported by Spotlight PA, Wecht decided to leave the Democratic Party and become an Independent earlier in May. According to the reports, the main reason for leaving the party was due to some members of it being allegedly “acquiescent to Jew-hatred.”
Wecht had a long history with the Democratic Party, being the vice chair of the state’s party from 1998 to 2001, and entering the Pennsylvania Superior Court in 2011, the Supreme Court for the first time in 2015, and securing the re-election last year.
It’s not expected that this change will impact much of the justice’s political future, however. Wecht is just starting a 10-year term and will be around retirement age when it ends.
Pennsylvania Residents Slam Supreme Court Justice David Wecht
The justice’s decision to leave the party did not sit well with Democratic voters in Pennsylvania. Many felt betrayed, saying, “He was perfectly happy to have the support of the Democratic Party during his retention election last year. Loads of us knocked on doors for him.” Some people also questioned his reasons for leaving the Democrats and expressed skepticism: “Independents are usually just Republicans without conviction.”
Others even suggested impeachment: “This turncoat move by the judge doesn’t protect him from being impeached as a Pennsylvania Supreme Court judge if warranted.” The opinion was shared by others as well: “ANY Representative openly admitting they do not plan to actually represent the people whose votes secured the position they hold should IMMEDIATELY be recalled and a special election held.”
Users also lamented that “it’s absurd how often this happens among Dems only. Being elected by Dems and then betraying those very voters.”
It is still too early to tell whether this will affect the way David Wecht serves in his second term on the state Supreme Court, but it seems highly unlikely that the justice will greatly change how he handles cases.
