The University of Pennsylvania publicly rebuked a federal request that sought lists of Jewish staff, framing the demand as a troubling effort that recalls ‘‘a frightening’’ history. The university has pushed back legally against the federal action, positioning the dispute as one over civil‑rights protections, privacy and institutional autonomy. The case has immediate implications for campus‑federal relations and for institutions that collect sensitive demographic and religious‑identity information. University leaders argue the request threatens faculty and staff privacy and could chill campus speech and research. Legal experts say the suit will test limits of federal investigative authority over higher‑ed institutions and could set precedents for how universities respond to federal data demands tied to civil‑rights probes.