A federal judge in Boston has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to collect data that proves higher education institutions aren’t considering race in admissions. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV issued the ruling on Friday, granting a preliminary injunction following a lawsuit filed last month by a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general. As MSI previously reported, these attorneys general sued the Trump administration over the data collection rule… The ruling will only apply to public universities in the states represented by the plaintiffs.
Judge Saylor said that while the federal government likely has the authority to collect the data, the demand was rolled out to universities in a “rushed and chaotic” manner. He wrote that the 120-day deadline imposed by President Donald Trump led to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) failing to engage meaningfully with the institutions during the notice-and-comment process to address the multitude of problems presented by the new requirements.
President Trump ordered the data collection in August 2025 after raising concerns that colleges and universities were using personal statements and other proxies to consider race, which he views as illegal discrimination. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions but said colleges could still consider how race has shaped students’ lives if applicants share that information in their admissions essays.
The states argue that the data collection risks invading student privacy and leading to baseless investigations of colleges and universities. Michelle Pascucci, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the court that the data has been sought in such a hasty and irresponsible way that it will create problems for universities and that the effort seemed aimed at uncovering unlawful practices.
The data collection was to be conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, and was to include the race and sex of colleges’ applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the data must be disaggregated by race and sex and retroactively reported for the past seven years, with an original deadline of March 18.
The Trump administration has said that if colleges fail to submit timely, complete, and accurate data, 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 has separately 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 high court ruling against affirmative action.