Penn Faces Court on Antisemitism Probe Records Request

The University of Pennsylvania is in a legal tug‑of‑war over a federal request for detailed lists about Jewish employees. A judge will decide if the school must comply with a subpoena issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC says that antisemitic incidents on campus—such as hateful graffiti, a swastika painted on a building and violent acts against a Jewish student center—have created a hostile work environment for faculty and staff. The probe began in December 2023 when the EEOC accused Penn of a pattern of antisemitic behavior. It argued that Jewish employees might be afraid to speak out, so investigators need to know who has witnessed or suffered harassment. The agency wants information on employees’ religious background, membership in Jewish groups, involvement with Penn’s Jewish studies programs and personal contact details.Penn lawyers counter that the school has already shared roughly 900 pages of documents over two years. They claim the new request is “extraordinary and unconstitutional, ” as it would expose private data like home addresses and phone numbers. The university says it offered to inform staff about the investigation and how to contact the agency, but the EEOC rejected that approach. An American Civil Liberties Union attorney said the groups represented in the case support looking into antisemitism, but oppose forcing Penn to compile lists of Jewish employees. “We’re not against the investigation; we’re against the court ordering us to create those lists and hand over confidential information, ” he explained. The judge, Gerald Pappert, heard arguments for four hours and has not yet set a decision date. The outcome will determine whether Penn must provide the requested records, potentially impacting employee privacy and setting a precedent for similar investigations.