Federal Judge Orders University of Pennsylvania to Comply with Subpoena
On Tuesday, a U.S. District Judge ruled that the University of Pennsylvania must fulfill a subpoena from the Trump administration, which demands information regarding Jewish employees at the institution.
The subpoena is part of an inquiry by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigating a potential “pattern or practice” of harassment against Jewish individuals within the Ivy League university. Notably, the EEOC has requested a list of campus groups associated with Judaism, along with personal contact information for university employees linked to these organizations.
Although the judge acknowledged that the request was poorly phrased, he noted the underlying intention was clear: to focus on members of Pennsylvania’s Jewish community who may have experienced or witnessed anti-Semitism in the workplace. U.S. District Judge Gerald Papert remarked that the university had resisted the subpoena for various reasons, but the EEOC pursued enforcement after negotiations failed to yield results.
While the judge’s ruling is considered a victory for the Trump administration, he clarified that the university is not required to disclose which employees are affiliated with specific Jewish organizations, such as MEOR, Penn Hillel, or Chabad-Lubavitch House, all of which play significant roles in supporting Jewish life on campus. Papert ruled that Penn must comply with the subpoena but without divulging specific organizational affiliations of its employees.
A spokesperson for the University of Pennsylvania announced plans to appeal the ruling, raising concerns over the subpoena’s constitutionality. “We continue to maintain that compiling a list of Jewish faculty members and sharing personal contact information raises significant privacy and First Amendment issues. The university does not categorize faculty by religion,” the spokesperson stated.
He emphasized the university’s commitment to combatting anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination, citing steps taken to prevent and address such issues. “While we recognize the EEOC’s important role in investigating discrimination, we also have a responsibility to safeguard our employees’ rights,” he added.
The administration’s ruling comes amid an increased focus on potential anti-Semitism at universities across the U.S. following campus unrest that erupted after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. In December 2023, former Penn president Liz McGill resigned amidst Congressional hearings probing these allegations of anti-Semitism.
The EEOC’s investigation into Penn began in late 2023, when it first accused the institution of harassing faculty and staff based on their Jewish identity. The commission filed a lawsuit in November, alleging that the university had not adequately complied with its requests and sought judicial enforcement of the subpoena. In January, Penn formally objected to the subpoena, citing concerns over disclosing “sensitive and personally identifiable” employee information.
