The Trump administration withdrew its controversial subpoena requesting that the University of Pennsylvania provide lists of Jewish university affiliates and their personal contact information, according to a Thursday court filing. 

“With the support of many members of the community who have stood with Penn throughout, the University has been able to protect its employees’ rights and none of the subpoenaed personal contact information was disclosed,” a university spokesperson told Jewish Insider. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had requested, as part of its investigation into antisemitism at Penn, lists of Jewish-related organizations on campus, their membership rosters and contact information for the employees involved, among other information.

The decision to drop the subpoena was welcomed by the campus Jewish community — which had spoken out against the administration’s initial request. 

“Over the past year, I have spoken with hundreds of students, faculty, and staff across the University of Pennsylvania regarding this issue,” Rabbi Gabriel Greenberg, executive director of Penn Hillel, told JI. “Every single person expressed objections to the attempt to compel the university to surrender data on Jewish identity and affiliation.

“While many in our community share Penn Hillel’s conviction that campus antisemitism requires urgent, sustained action, demanding ‘lists of Jews’ was a fundamentally incorrect and inappropriate way to address it.” 

Rabbi Rick Fox, who leads Meor Penn, told JI, “We are grateful that this resolution protects the privacy and safety of Jewish people on campus.” 

At the same time, Fox expressed hope that “this outcome motivates Penn to take every step to ensure that our campus remains free from antisemitism, anti-Israel bigotry and discrimination against students in all forms.” 

The decision follows a monthslong legal battle between Penn and the EEOC over the body’s authority to enforce the subpoena issued last July. The EEOC sued Penn in November, saying the subpoena was necessary to obtain contact information for potential victims of antisemitism, but the Ivy League university refused to comply, calling the agency’s methods “extraordinary and unconstitutional.” 

In March, Judge Gerald Pappert of Philadelphia’s Federal District Court ordered Penn to comply with the subpoena by May 1, but the school continued to withhold the personal contact information.

The subpoena was highly scrutinized by critics on campus who likened the move to Nazi-era methods of collecting information about Jews. Experts told JI in January that a more typical investigation might involve agency officials interviewing people who issued complaints directly with the agency, then visiting the campus and publicizing their investigation, calling the EEOC’s methods in the Penn case “incredibly unusual, if not completely unprecedented.” In April, EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas defended the move, saying, “There is no other way to protect victims of harassment or discrimination unless you collect information about them.” 

The court filing did not explain the government’s decision to drop the subpoena. The Trump administration did not respond to a request for comment from JI.