Trump Administration’s Defeat in Penn Subpoena Fight Is a Major Victory Against Authoritarian Abuse
July 23, 2026
After the Trump administration backed down from enforcing its subpoena seeking records identifying Jewish groups and individuals at the University of Pennsylvania, Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), co-counsel for the organizations that intervened in the action to stop the disclosure, released the following statement:
“This is a major victory over an authoritarian abuse of federal power. The Trump administration tried to force Penn to surrender membership rosters for Jewish campus groups and identifying information about people associated with its Jewish Studies Program. Our clients challenged this dangerous attempt to place Jewish students, faculty, and organizations under government scrutiny, and the administration has now agreed not to enforce its subpoena.
“The fight against antisemitism cannot be twisted into a pretext for compiling lists of Jewish people, intimidating students and faculty, or coercing universities into submission. The administration’s defeat should serve as a warning: it cannot lawfully trample constitutional rights, no matter how hard it tries to bring American higher education under its political control.”
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