The judge blocks Trump’s efforts to show that colleges are not considering race in admissions

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to collect data proving that higher education institutions are not considering race in admissions.

US District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV’s decision to grant the preliminary injunction Friday in Boston follows a lawsuit filed earlier this month by a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general. This will apply only to public universities in the plaintiff

A federal judge said the federal government had the right to collect the data, but the demand was brought to universities in a “hasty and chaotic” manner.

“The 120-day deadline imposed by the President failed to allow NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) to meaningfully engage with institutions during the notice-and-comment process to address the multitude of issues presented by the new requirements,” Sailer wrote.

President Donald Trump ordered the data collection in August after raising concerns that colleges and universities were using personal statements and other proxies to infer race, which he sees as illegal discrimination.

In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions but colleges can still consider how race has shaped students’ lives if applicants share the information in their admissions essays.

States argue that the data collection invades student privacy and leads to warrantless investigations of colleges and universities. They also argued that the university was not given enough time to collect the data.

“The data has been sought in such a hasty and irresponsible manner that it will create problems for the universities,” Michele Pascucci, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the court, adding that the effort appeared to be aimed at exposing illegal practices.

The Education Department has defended the effort, arguing that taxpayers deserve transparency in how money is spent at institutions that receive federal funds.

The administration’s policy echoes settlement agreements the government negotiated with Brown University and Columbia University restoring their federal research funding. The universities agreed to give the government data on applicants, admitted students and race, grade-point averages and standardized test scores of admitted students. The schools have also agreed to be audited by the government and make enrollment data public.

The National Center for Education Statistics will collect new data on college applicants, enrolled students, and the race and gender of enrolled students. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the data, which was initially up to March 18, must be disaggregated by race and gender and reported retrospectively for the past seven years.

If colleges fail to submit timely, complete and accurate data, the administration said McMahon could take action under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which outlines requirements for colleges receiving federal financial aid for students.

The Trump administration has separately sued Harvard University for similar data, saying it has refused to provide enrollment records requested by the Justice Department to ensure the school has stopped using affirmative action. Harvard said the university was responding to the government’s request and complying with the high court’s ruling against affirmative action. On Monday, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights directed Harvard to comply with data requests within 20 days for face referrals to the U.S. Department of Justice.