Overview
- The University of Pennsylvania filed its formal response Tuesday in federal court, rejecting an EEOC subpoena for contact details of Jewish employees as unconstitutional.
- The July subpoena seeks names and personal information of employees with Jewish faith or ancestry, as well as those affiliated with Jewish studies, organizations, or community events.
- Penn argues forced disclosure endangers safety and privacy, implicates First Amendment rights, and recalls the historical persecution tied to compiling lists of Jews.
- Leaders of MEOR Penn, Penn Hillel, and Chabad at Penn endorsed the university’s filing, and groups representing Jewish faculty and students moved to intervene in the case.
- The EEOC says it cannot complete its investigation into antisemitism at Penn without contacting Jewish employees and must respond in court by Jan. 27.