Trump administration drops demand that Penn hand over list of Jewish employees

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The Trump administration has backed away from efforts to subpoena a list of Jewish employees at the University of Pennsylvania, one of several schools it has accused of failing to stop antisemitism, according to court documents filed Thursday.

The documents, filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, show the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has made an agreement with the university to “not take any further measures to enforce the subpoena seeking identification and personal contact information of employees of the University of Pennsylvania.”

In exchange, Penn agreed to dismiss its appeal of the request, ending more than a year of litigation over the move.

“With the support of many members of the community who have stood with Penn throughout, the University has been able to protect its employees’ rights and none of the subpoenaed personal contact information was disclosed,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “Penn remains committed to fighting antisemitism and all other forms of discrimination, to ensure everyone it serves can learn, work and thrive.”

An EEOC spokesperson declined to comment beyond the court filings.

The EEOC sought information on employees affiliated with Jewish organizations, including the university’s Jewish Studies program, to identify potential witnesses or victims of antisemitism occurring on campus.

Efforts to subpoena the information were part of a slate of investigations into allegations of antisemitism at Penn following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Penn objected to parts of the subpoena, arguing the requests threatened the privacy and safety of Jewish employees, along with raising constitutional concerns. The EEOC sued the university in November to enforce the subpoena.

“The E.E.O.C. insists that Penn produce this information without the consent — and indeed, over the objections — of the employees impacted while entirely disregarding the frightening and well-documented history of governmental entities that undertook efforts to identify and assemble information regarding persons of Jewish ancestry,” the university said in a court filing in January challenging the subpoena.

Under Thursday’s agreement, the EEOC also agreed not to seek enforcement of the district’s court order or otherwise pursue the subpoenaed information from Penn amid pending administrative investigations.

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The Trump administration has backed away from efforts to subpoena a list of Jewish employees at the University of Pennsylvania, one of several schools it has accused of failing to…

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Skip to content

The Trump administration has backed away from efforts to subpoena a list of Jewish employees at the University of Pennsylvania, one of several schools it has accused of failing to stop antisemitism, according to court documents filed Thursday.

The documents, filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, show the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has made an agreement with the university to “not take any further measures to enforce the subpoena seeking identification and personal contact information of employees of the University of Pennsylvania.”

In exchange, Penn agreed to dismiss its appeal of the request, ending more than a year of litigation over the move.

“With the support of many members of the community who have stood with Penn throughout, the University has been able to protect its employees’ rights and none of the subpoenaed personal contact information was disclosed,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “Penn remains committed to fighting antisemitism and all other forms of discrimination, to ensure everyone it serves can learn, work and thrive.”

An EEOC spokesperson declined to comment beyond the court filings.

The EEOC sought information on employees affiliated with Jewish organizations, including the university’s Jewish Studies program, to identify potential witnesses or victims of antisemitism occurring on campus.

Efforts to subpoena the information were part of a slate of investigations into allegations of antisemitism at Penn following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Penn objected to parts of the subpoena, arguing the requests threatened the privacy and safety of Jewish employees, along with raising constitutional concerns. The EEOC sued the university in November to enforce the subpoena.

“The E.E.O.C. insists that Penn produce this information without the consent — and indeed, over the objections — of the employees impacted while entirely disregarding the frightening and well-documented history of governmental entities that undertook efforts to identify and assemble information regarding persons of Jewish ancestry,” the university said in a court filing in January challenging the subpoena.

Under Thursday’s agreement, the EEOC also agreed not to seek enforcement of the district’s court order or otherwise pursue the subpoenaed information from Penn amid pending administrative investigations.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read the full story at The Hill ↗

Skip to content

The Trump administration has backed away from efforts to subpoena a list of Jewish employees at the University of Pennsylvania, one of several schools it has accused of failing to stop antisemitism, according to court documents filed Thursday.

The documents, filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, show the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has made an agreement with the university to “not take any further measures to enforce the subpoena seeking identification and personal contact information of employees of the University of Pennsylvania.”

In exchange, Penn agreed to dismiss its appeal of the request, ending more than a year of litigation over the move.

“With the support of many members of the community who have stood with Penn throughout, the University has been able to protect its employees’ rights and none of the subpoenaed personal contact information was disclosed,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “Penn remains committed to fighting antisemitism and all other forms of discrimination, to ensure everyone it serves can learn, work and thrive.”

An EEOC spokesperson declined to comment beyond the court filings.

The EEOC sought information on employees affiliated with Jewish organizations, including the university’s Jewish Studies program, to identify potential witnesses or victims of antisemitism occurring on campus.

Efforts to subpoena the information were part of a slate of investigations into allegations of antisemitism at Penn following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Penn objected to parts of the subpoena, arguing the requests threatened the privacy and safety of Jewish employees, along with raising constitutional concerns. The EEOC sued the university in November to enforce the subpoena.

“The E.E.O.C. insists that Penn produce this information without the consent — and indeed, over the objections — of the employees impacted while entirely disregarding the frightening and well-documented history of governmental entities that undertook efforts to identify and assemble information regarding persons of Jewish ancestry,” the university said in a court filing in January challenging the subpoena.

Under Thursday’s agreement, the EEOC also agreed not to seek enforcement of the district’s court order or otherwise pursue the subpoenaed information from Penn amid pending administrative investigations.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read the full story at The Hill ↗

This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.

• The Trump administration has backed away from efforts to subpoena a list of Jewish employees at the University of Pennsylvania, one of several schools it has accused of failing to…