Trump Administration Drops Subpoena Demanding List of Jews From Penn

Key Points:

• The Trump administration has dropped its effort to compel the University of Pennsylvania to disclose names of Jewish individuals on campus, as revealed in a recent court filing.
• This move does not end the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) investigation into antisemitism allegations at Penn but likely concludes the controversial subpoena tactic used in this case.
• The EEOC had sought detailed records, including membership lists of Jewish-related groups and employees in the Jewish Studies Program, which Penn partially resisted, citing constitutional and safety concerns.
• A federal judge ruled that Penn largely must comply with the subpoena but stayed the decision pending appeal, acknowledging the constitutional complexities and potential harm in releasing the records prematurely.
• The government maintained that the requested information was necessary to investigate antisemitism and denied seeking a registry of Jewish individuals, framing it instead as contact information for potential victims and witnesses.