A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the Trump administration from collecting race-based admissions data from public colleges in 17 states. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV issued a preliminary injunction on Friday, siding with a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general who filed a lawsuit earlier this month. The lawsuit argued that the data collection would invade student privacy, burden universities, and trigger unwarranted federal investigations.
Judge Saylor acknowledged the federal government's likely authority to seek such information for "identifying potential problems" and "patterns of discrimination." However, he found that the 120-day deadline imposed by President Trump was "rushed and chaotic" and "epitomizes arbitrary and capricious agency action." Saylor noted that the short deadline prevented the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) from engaging meaningfully with institutions to address the multitude of problems presented by the new requirements.
Trump's order stated that race-based admissions practices are not only unfair but also threaten national security.
The Education Department defended the data collection effort, arguing that taxpayers deserve transparency on how money is spent at institutions that receive federal funding. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated that if colleges fail to submit timely, complete, and accurate data, she 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 administration's policy echoes settlement agreements the government negotiated with Brown University and Columbia University, restoring their federal research money after the universities agreed to provide data on race, GPA, and standardized test scores.
The National Center for Education Statistics was tasked with collecting the new data, including the race and sex of colleges' applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students. McMahon said the data, originally due by March 18, must be disaggregated by race and sex and retroactively reported for the past seven years. Michelle Pascucci, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the court that the data was sought in such a hasty and irresponsible way that it would create problems for universities.
The Trump administration has also sued Harvard University over similar data, claiming the university refused to provide admissions records the Justice Department demanded to ensure the school stopped using affirmative action. Harvard has stated that it has been responding to the government's requests and is in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action. 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.
A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the Trump administration from collecting race-based admissions data from public colleges in 17 states. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV issued a preliminary injunction on Friday, siding with a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general who filed a lawsuit earlier this month. The lawsuit argued that the data collection would invade student privacy, burden universities, and trigger unwarranted federal investigations.
Judge Saylor acknowledged the federal government's likely authority to seek such information for "identifying potential problems" and "patterns of discrimination." However, he found that the 120-day deadline imposed by President Trump was "rushed and chaotic" and "epitomizes arbitrary and capricious agency action." Saylor noted that the short deadline prevented the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) from engaging meaningfully with institutions to address the multitude of problems presented by the new requirements.
President Trump ordered the data collection in August, expressing concerns that colleges and universities were using personal statements and other proxies to consider race, which he views as illegal discrimination. Trump's order stated that race-based admissions practices are unfair and threaten national security. He sought a four-month deadline for race data on college admissions, challenging Democrats.
The Education Department defended the data collection effort, arguing that taxpayers deserve transparency on how money is spent at institutions that receive federal funding. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated that if colleges fail to submit timely, complete, and accurate data, she 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 administration's policy echoes settlement agreements the government negotiated with Brown University and Columbia University, restoring their federal research money after the universities agreed to provide data on race, GPA, and standardized test scores.
The National Center for Education Statistics was tasked with collecting the new data, including the race and sex of colleges' applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students. McMahon said the data, originally due by March 18, must be disaggregated by race and sex and retroactively reported for the past seven years. Michelle Pascucci, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the court that the data was sought in such a hasty and irresponsible way that it would create problems for universities.
The Trump administration has also sued Harvard University over similar data, claiming the university refused to provide admissions records the Justice Department demanded to ensure the school stopped using affirmative action. Harvard has stated that it has been responding to the government's requests and is in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action. 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.
While the injunction applies only to public institutions in the 17 Democrat-led states, the ruling could prompt the Education Department to revise its approach to data collection from universities nationwide.
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