Judge halts Trump effort requiring colleges to show they aren’t considering race in admissions

A federal judge in Boston has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from collecting data from colleges and universities to determine if race is being considered in admissions. The preliminary injunction, issued by Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV, follows a lawsuit from 17 Democratic state attorneys general and applies to public universities in those states. The judge cited the "rushed and chaotic" manner of the data collection demand, initiated by President Trump in August, as the reason for the halt. Trump's order followed concerns that colleges were using personal statements to illegally consider race after the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling against affirmative action. The states argued the data collection risked student privacy and baseless investigations, while the Education Department defended the effort as necessary for taxpayer transparency.

A federal judge in Boston has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's effort to collect data from public universities in 17 states regarding race in admissions. The ruling, a preliminary injunction, follows a lawsuit by Democratic state attorneys general who argued the data collection was rushed, risked student privacy, and could lead to unwarranted investigations. Donald Trump ordered the data collection in August, concerned that colleges were using proxies to illegally consider race in admissions, despite the Supreme Court's ruling against affirmative action. The judge cited the rushed nature of the data request and the failure to adequately engage with universities as reasons for the injunction. The Education Department defended the data collection as necessary for transparency in how taxpayer money is spent at federally funded institutions.