US Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Effort to Secure Colleges Race Data

A Federal Judge on 3/13/2026 Temporarily Blocked Trump's (R) Administration from Requiring Universities to Collect and Turn Over Data by next Week, to Prove they are No Longer Considering Race as an Admissions Factor.

U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Boston, Issued a Temporary Restraining Order at the Request of 17 Democratic State Attorneys, who Sued over a Newly-Added Component of Mandatory, Annual Surveys Administered by the U.S. Department of Education, that are used to gather Information from Universities.

Schools that Participate in Federal Student Financial Programs were Asked to Provide Admissions-Related Data on the Race and Sex of Students, which the Department Planned to Use to Track their Compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 Ruling Ending Affirmative Action in Higher Education.

The Judge, who was Appointed by President George W. Bush (R), noted that Universities and Colleges Nationwide Faced a Looming Wednesday Deadline to Complete the Survey. He Extended that Deadline through 3/25/2026, to Provide Time to Hear the States' Case and Provide for an "orderly resolution of the issues."

The Data at Issue would be Gathered through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Surveys, which since 1986 have been Used by the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics to Collect Information from Universities on Matters like Finances, Admissions and Outcomes.

The Ssurvey was Altered at the Direction of Trump, who in an 8/2025 Memorandum, cited a Lack-of-Data to Assess whether Race Remained an Admissions Factor after the Supreme Court's Decision given the "rampant use of 'diversity statements' and other overt and hidden racial proxies."

Following the Memo, Education Department Secretary Linda McMahon (R) Announced that Institutions of Higher Education would need to Report Data Disaggregated by Race and Sex Relating to the Undergraduate Applicant Pool and Enrollment.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) subsequently in 12/2025 Finalized the New Requirements, which sought Data from the 2025-2026 Academic year and Six prior years.










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