United States Sens. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) jointly offered support for a federal agency’s ongoing investigation into antisemitism at Penn after a judge ruled that the University must comply with the agency’s subpoena request on Tuesday.
Judge Gerald Pappert ruled on March 31 that the information on Jewish students and faculty requested by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was relevant to its investigation. McCormick and Fetterman’s bipartisan support for the ruling comes after several legal scholars and community advocates criticized the judge’s decision.
“We have long spoken out against the despicable treatment Jewish students and faculty have faced since October 7, including on University of Pennsylvania’s campus,” the April 1 statement read. “We fully support the EEOC investigations into Title VII discrimination.”
A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson. A Penn spokesperson previously told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the University intends to appeal the decision.
Requests were also left with Fetterman and McCormick.
The two senators added that “no student or faculty member” should encounter “illegal discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or national origin.” The officials explained that their priorities were “ensuring privacy protections are upheld” and ensuring that the “perpetrators of illegal discrimination are brought to justice.”
In a memorandum submitted alongside the March 31 order, Pappert wrote that the EEOC has a “broad right of access” to information that might establish “reasonable cause” to believe workplace discrimination has occurred. He also dismissed claims that the EEOC’s request was unconstitutional.
The statement from the Pennsylvania senators on Wednesday comes after several state and local politicians denounced the court’s decision in statements to the DP.
U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) — who represents Penn and University City in Congress — described the judge’s decision as “invasive and outrageous” in a previous statement to the DP, and said that he hopes that Penn “quickly appeals this ruling.”
Pennsylvania state Rep. Rick Krajewski (D-Philadelphia) echoed a similar sentiment, describing Pappert's order as “unthinkable.”
“Jewish students and campus leaders have repeatedly spoken out against this federal request, and it is an unprecedented invasion of personal privacy and religious freedom,” Krajewski wrote to the DP, calling the subpoena a “federal attempt at surveillance, discrimination and intrusion in higher education.”
“While we acknowledge the important role of the EEOC to investigate discrimination, we also have an obligation to protect the rights of our employees,” a University spokesperson’s previous statement to the DP read.
Last August, Fetterman and McCormick sent a letter to Penn President Larry Jameson, urging the University to take steps to protect Jewish students on campus.
“It is incumbent on all of us – especially our nation’s universities – to ensure vibrant Jewish life is not compromised or driven into the shadows,” the August 2025 letter read. “No student should feel like they must risk their safety to exercise their First Amendment rights to peacefully assemble and freely practice their religion.”
Senior reporter Arti Jain covers state and local politics and can be reached at jain@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies economics and political science. Follow her on X @arti_jain_.
