Judge says Penn must turn over information about Jewish employees in US discrimination probe

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the University of Pennsylvania to hand over records about Jewish employees on campus to a federal agency as part of an investigation into antisemitic discrimination but said it did not have to reveal any employee’s affiliation with a specific group.

U.S. District Judge Gerald Pappert said employees can refuse to take part in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation but the agency “needs the opportunity to talk to them directly to learn if they have evidence of discrimination.”

He mostly upheld a subpoena but said Penn does not have to disclose any worker’s affiliation with a Jewish-related organization nor must it provide information about three groups.

“We remain committed to confronting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and have taken multiple steps to prevent and address these despicable events. While we acknowledge the important role of the EEOC to investigate discrimination, we also have an obligation to protect the rights of our employees. We continue to believe that requiring Penn to create lists of Jewish faculty and staff, and to provide personal contact information, raises serious privacy and First Amendment concerns. The University does not maintain employee lists by religion. We intend to appeal,” a Penn spokesperson wrote in a statement to NBC10.