Overview
- The district judge, who ordered disclosure in March, granted a stay Monday that halts any handover while the University of Pennsylvania appeals.
- He said Penn is unlikely to win on appeal but showed narrow irreparable harm because once names are disclosed the action cannot be undone.
- His March ruling directed Penn to give the EEOC contact details for likely witnesses without tying anyone to a specific group after the agency sought data on Jewish Studies staff, Jewish-related clubs and rosters, and employees who filed complaints.
- The EEOC warned a delay would blunt its investigation, but the judge noted the agency went quiet for nearly a year after starting the case in December 2023.
- The pause protects privacy for now and sets up a Third Circuit test that could define how civil-rights investigators request identities linked to religious groups on campuses.