Federal Judge Blocks White House’s University Race Data Collection Effort

A federal judge in Boston has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s initiative to collect admissions data from universities to ensure they are not considering race in their admissions processes. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV granted a preliminary injunction that affects public universities in 17 Democratic-led states that filed a lawsuit against the policy ^[1][2].

The injunction was issued after the coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general argued that the data collection policy, ordered by President Donald Trump in August 2025, could invade student privacy and impose an unreasonable burden on universities ^[1][3]. The policy required the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to collect detailed admissions data, including race and sex, retroactively for seven years ^[1][4].

Judge Saylor noted that while the federal government likely has the authority to collect such data, the process was implemented in a ‘rushed and chaotic’ manner. He cited the 120-day deadline and the NCES’s failure to engage meaningfully with institutions during the notice-and-comment process as reasons for the injunction ^[1][2].

The policy echoes previous settlement agreements with Brown University and Columbia University, where these institutions agreed to provide similar data to restore federal research funding ^[1][3]. The original deadline for data submission was March 18, 2026, and non-compliance could result in actions under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 by Education Secretary Linda McMahon ^[1][4].

Separately, the Justice Department has sued Harvard University for allegedly withholding admissions data, including race and other factors, from a federal investigation. The administration has also opened investigations into race considerations in admissions at the medical schools of Stanford University, Ohio State University, and the University of California, San Diego ^[1][5].

What Is Known

The injunction applies specifically to public universities in the 17 states that challenged the policy. The judge’s decision highlights procedural issues with the policy’s implementation, rather than its legality ^[1][2].

What Remains Unclear

It remains unclear how the administration will respond to the injunction and whether the policy will be revised to address the procedural concerns raised by the court ^[1].