Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's College Data Demand

The ruling enjoins the administration from requiring public universities in 17 states to provide extensive race-related admissions data.

Apr. 6, 2026 at 8:00pm

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A quiet, cinematic painting of an empty university lecture hall with rows of desks and chairs, the space bathed in warm, diagonal sunlight and deep shadows, creating a contemplative, nostalgic mood.The legal battle over the Trump administration's aggressive efforts to collect sensitive student data highlights growing tensions over the role of race in higher education admissions.Boston Today

A federal judge in Boston has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from forcing public universities in 17 U.S. states to turn over sweeping amounts of data on the race and sex of their students. The Department of Education had sought the data to track compliance with the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling ending affirmative action in higher education, but the judge ruled the rushed implementation left universities vulnerable to errors that could lead to penalties and investigations.

Why it matters

This ruling is a significant setback for the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle affirmative action policies in higher education. The judge found the administration's data collection efforts were implemented in a 'rushed and chaotic manner' that failed to properly engage with universities about the problems they foresaw, compounded by staffing cuts at the Education Department.

The details

The Department of Education had created a new Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System survey to collect seven years of admissions data on the race and sex of students from public universities in 17 states. This was done at the direction of President Trump, who cited a lack of data to assess whether race remained an admissions factor given the 'rampant use' by universities of what he called 'hidden racial proxies.' However, the states sued, arguing the rushed implementation left universities vulnerable to inadvertent errors that could lead to penalties and investigations.

  • On April 3, 2026, U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration's data collection effort.
  • In March 2026, the states sued the Education Department over the new data reporting requirement.
  • In August 2025, President Trump issued a memorandum citing a lack of data to assess whether race remained an admissions factor in universities.

The players

F. Dennis Saylor IV

A U.S. District Court Judge in the District of Massachusetts who issued the preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration's college data demand.

Letitia James

The Attorney General of New York, who hailed the ruling as preventing schools from having to 'scramble to produce years of sensitive information to satisfy an arbitrary and unlawful demand.'

Donald Trump

The former President of the United States who directed the Department of Education to collect the race-related admissions data from universities.

Department of Education

The federal agency that created the new Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System survey to collect the race and sex data from public universities.

Democratic Attorneys General

The state attorneys general from the 17 states who sued the Department of Education over the new data reporting requirement.

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What they’re saying

“Schools should not have to scramble to produce years of sensitive information to satisfy an arbitrary and unlawful demand.”

— Letitia James, New York Attorney General

What’s next

The judge will continue to consider whether to issue a permanent injunction blocking the Trump administration's college data collection efforts.

The takeaway

This ruling represents a significant setback for the Trump administration's attempts to dismantle affirmative action policies in higher education by collecting extensive race-related admissions data from universities. The judge found the administration's actions were rushed and failed to properly engage with universities, underscoring concerns about the politicization of the Education Department under Trump.