Judge blocks Trump race‑data order for colleges
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV granted a preliminary injunction halting the Trump administration’s data‑collection directive for public universities, following a lawsuit by a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general.
- President Donald Trump ordered the data request in August, citing concerns that colleges used personal statements and other proxies to consider race, which he deems illegal discrimination.
- Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV noted the rollout was “rushed and chaotic,” with a 120‑day deadline that prevented the National Center for Education Statistics from conducting a proper notice‑and‑comment process.
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon required universities to submit race‑ and sex‑disaggregated admissions data for the past seven years, originally due March 18, under Title IV of the Higher Education Act.
- Education Department argues the data is needed for taxpayer transparency on federal funding, while the states contend it invades student privacy and forces baseless investigations.
- Brown University and Columbia University previously agreed to provide race, GPA, and test‑score data and undergo government audits under settlement agreements that the new policy echoes.
- Harvard University is separately being sued by the Trump administration over admissions data, but the school says it is complying with the Justice Department’s request and the Supreme Court’s affirmative‑action ruling.
Why it matters: Public universities avoid a sweeping data‑collection mandate that could expose student race and sex information, while the Trump administration loses a tool it argued was needed for taxpayer oversight of federally funded schools. The ruling also underscores the legal limits on executive mandates issued without adequate notice, potentially curbing future attempts to impose similar reporting requirements.
Ask SkimNews
