Federal judge blocks Trump push to collect race-based admissions data
President Donald Trump's effort to investigate race-based admissions at U.S. colleges was temporarily blocked Friday by a federal judge in Boston.
U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV granted a preliminary injunction Friday, temporarily barring the Trump administration from forcing public colleges in 17 Democrat-led states to submit detailed admissions data meant to prove they are not unconstitutional considering race.
Saylor did admit the federal government likely can seek such information in "identifying potential problems" and "patterns of discrimination" but the executive order's 120-day deadline was "rushed and chaotic" and "epitomizes arbitrary and capricious agency action."
Trump, while moving to shut down the Department of Education to return its functions to the states last March, sought a four-month deadline for race data on college admissions this past August.
"Within 120 days of the date of this memorandum, and to be initiated this 2025-2026 school year, the Secretary of Education, in coordination with NCES [National Center for Education Statistics], shall expand the scope of required reporting to provide adequate transparency into admissions, as determined by the Secretary of Education, consistent with applicable law," Trump's executive order challenged by Democrats read.
A coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general sued, arguing the new reporting regime would invade student privacy, burden universities and trigger unwarranted federal investigations.
"Plaintiffs have established, based on the record before the Court, that they are likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that the agency action was 'arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and not otherwise in accordance with the law,'" Saylor concluded. "Furthermore, and notwithstanding the contention of the government, plaintiffs have established that immediate irreparable harm will result if the injunction does not issue. And they have likewise established that the balance of equities and the public interest favor preliminary injunctive relief. Accordingly, the motion for a preliminary injunction will be granted."
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY VIOLATED TILE VI WITH 'UNLAWFUL DEI POLICIES,' EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SAYS
The administration argued the data collection is needed to ensure colleges are complying with the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision ending affirmative action in admissions, while still allowing applicants to discuss how race affected their lives in essays.
"Race-based admissions practices are not only unfair, but also threaten our national security and well-being," Trump's order read. "It is therefore the policy of my Administration to ensure institutions of higher education receiving Federal financial assistance are transparent in their admissions practices."
Under the policy, colleges were told to provide admissions data broken down by race and sex and to report it retroactively for seven years, with possible penalties for schools that failed to comply.
The administration's policy echoes settlement agreements the government negotiated with Brown University and Columbia University, restoring their federal research money. The universities agreed to give the government data on the race, grade-point average and standardized test scores of applicants, admitted students and enrolled students. The schools also agreed to be audited by the government and to release admissions statistics to the public.
The NECS is to collect the new data, including the race and sex of colleges’ applicants, admitted students and enrolled students. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has said the data, which was originally due by March 18, must be disaggregated by race and sex and retroactively reported for the past seven years.
TRUMP'S DEMAND FOR COLLEGES NATIONWIDE TO FORK OVER RACE DATA FACES LEGAL HURDLE
If colleges fail to submit timely, complete and accurate data, the administration has said McMahon can 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 separately has sued Harvard University over similar data, saying it refused to provide admissions records the Justice Department demanded to ensure the school stopped using affirmative action.
Harvard has said the university has been responding to the government’s requests and is in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action. On Monday, the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights directed Harvard to comply with the data requests within 20 days or face referral to the U.S. Justice Department.
Saylor's injunction applies only to public institutions in the 17 Democratic plaintiff states, at least for now.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.