University of Pennsylvania challenges federal demand for lists of Jewish staff

The University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday condemned Trump administration investigators for seeking records about Jewish employees, saying in a federal court filing in Philadelphia that the request was "disconcerting." The university and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have been at odds for months over an investigation into antisemitism at Penn.

The dispute became public in November when the administration sued the university, saying Penn had "refused to comply" with a subpoena that sought information about employees who brought complaints and those who are members of Jewish groups on campus. In a 163-page filing, Penn called the demand an "extraordinary and unconstitutional demand," saying it recalled the "frightening and well-documented history of governmental entities that undertook efforts to identify and assemble information regarding persons of Jewish ancestry" and that the request implicated employees' privacy, safety and First Amendment rights.

University officials said they had cooperated with the investigation but that asking for information about Jewish staff went too far. Penn said it had offered in September to notify employees about the E.E.O.C.'s interest and how to contact the agency directly, but that the commission immediately said it would seek to enforce the subpoena.

The E.E.O.C.

Key Topics

Politics, Eeoc, Trump Administration, Antisemitism Investigation, Federal Subpoena, Philadelphia