Penn Calls Government’s Demand for Lists of Jewish Staff ‘Disconcerting’
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- The University of Pennsylvania condemned the Trump administration's investigators for seeking records about Jewish employees, calling the request "disconcerting" and an "extraordinary and unconstitutional demand" in a federal court filing.
- The dispute centers on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) investigation into antisemitism at Penn, with the EEOC suing the university for allegedly refusing to comply with a subpoena demanding information about employees who reported antisemitic discrimination or belonged to Jewish groups.
- Penn argued that the subpoena violated employees' privacy, safety, and First Amendment rights, highlighting the troubling history of government efforts to identify Jewish individuals, and noted that the request alarmed its Jewish community.
- The university offered to notify employees about the EEOC
