Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice leaves Democratic Party over antisemitism concerns
Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice leaves Democratic Party over antisemitism concerns
A Pennsylvania state Supreme Court justice said Monday he is leaving the Democratic Party over what he sees as a rise in antisemitism from mainstream party figures.
Justice David Wecht, who was elected to the court as a Democrat in 2015, said in a statement he is switching his party affiliation to independent due to an “acquiescence to Jew-hatred” becoming “disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party.”
“I can no longer abide this. So, I won’t,” Wecht said. “I am no longer registered within any political party.”
In his statement, Wecht said he’s long felt antisemitism was most potent on the fringes of the right — especially after the 2018 shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, where Wecht was married and is a former board member. But he said that since 2018, “that same hatred has grown on the left.”
“Increasingly, it has moved from the fringe to the mainstream. It is the duty of all good people to fight this virus, and to do so before it is too late,” he said.
Wecht made a pointed jab at Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner, the favorite to win the party’s primary after former Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race.
In October, Platner revealed he’d gotten a tattoo of a widely recognized Nazi symbol while serving in the U.S. military in Croatia. Platner denied having knowledge of the symbol’s Nazi heritage, and had it covered days after publicly acknowledging the tattoo.
“In the quarter century that has passed since then, the Democratic Party has changed,” Wecht said. “Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, and other hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions are minimized, ignored, and even coddled.”
Wecht’s party change will have minimal impact on the balance of power in the state’s Supreme Court. After losing Wecht, four Democratic justices occupy the seven-seat bench.
Wecht won a 10-year retention election last November.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Lakers star missed the playoffs while dealing with a lingering hamstring injury.
LeBron James is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The Thunder have yet to lose so far this postseason.
This game can be pretty tough, so we’ve got clues if you’re stuck on today’s puzzle, #1,066.
Yahoo Tech
The Pistons shot just 12 free throw attempts in Monday night’s loss to the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell went 13-of-15 from the line himself.
Donovan Mitchell exploded in the second half, and the Cavaliers have turned a 2-0 series deficit into a 2-2- tie.
The state of Texas is suing Netflix, alleging that the company spies on its users and purposefully designs the service to be addictive.
Yahoo Tech
Perhaps the president could have followed Cignetti’s infamous suggestion about him and his success.
Betts has been sidelined since April 5 with a strained right oblique.
Yahoo rounded up everything there is to know about this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards, from the evening’s full roster of performers and nominees to who Twain is most excited to meet.
Yahoo EntertainmentPowered by WPeMatico