Federal Judge Partly Halts Trump College Race‑Data Order for 17 States’ Public Universities
A federal judge in Boston on Friday partly halted the Trump administration’s order requiring 17 states’ public universities to turn over seven years of race‑ and sex‑disaggregated admissions data, finding that the 120‑day presidential deadline produced a "rushed and chaotic" rollout and inadequate notice‑and‑comment by the National Center for Education Statistics. The administration has said the data are needed to test suspicions that colleges are using personal statements and other proxies to consider race after the 2023 Supreme Court ruling, while the Education Department defended the requirement as transparency for taxpayers and tied it to prior Brown and Columbia settlements — and Secretary Linda McMahon warned of Title IV consequences for institutions that refuse to comply.
📌 Key Facts
- A federal judge in Boston granted an injunction Friday halting the Trump administration’s effort to require colleges to provide race-related admissions data intended to show institutions aren’t using race in admissions.
- Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV found the 120-day presidential deadline produced a “rushed and chaotic” rollout and that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) failed to provide adequate notice-and-comment engagement.
- The administration’s stated rationale is President Trump’s suspicion that colleges are using personal statements and other proxies to consider race after the Supreme Court’s 2023 affirmative-action ruling.
- The Education Department defended the policy as a taxpayer-transparency measure on how federally funded institutions use admissions practices, linking the request to earlier Brown and Columbia settlements.
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon has threatened Title IV consequences for institutions that fail to provide seven years of disaggregated race- and sex-based admissions data.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2023, the average SAT total score was 1219 for Asian students, 1082 for White students, 943 for Hispanic/Latino students, and 908 for Black/African American students.
2023 Total Group SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report — College Board
In 2022, college enrollment rates for 18- to 24-year-olds were 61 percent for those who were Asian, 41 percent for White, 34 percent for Black, and 33 percent for Hispanic.
College Enrollment Rates — National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Following the 2023 Supreme Court ruling ending race-conscious admissions, Black and Latine first-year student enrollment declined by 27 percent and 10 percent, respectively, at the 50 most selective colleges in Fall 2024.
A cascade effect: Enrollment patterns after the end of race-conscious admissions — Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Confirms the injunction was granted Friday in Boston and frames it as halting Trump administration efforts to collect data meant to prove institutions aren’t using race in admissions.
- Restates Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV’s finding that the 120‑day presidential deadline led directly to a 'rushed and chaotic' rollout and inadequate notice‑and‑comment engagement by NCES.
- Emphasizes President Trump’s stated rationale: suspicion that colleges are using personal statements and other proxies to consider race after the 2023 Supreme Court affirmative‑action ruling.
- Reiterates Education Department’s defense that taxpayers deserve transparency on how federally funded institutions are using admissions practices, tying the policy to earlier Brown and Columbia settlements.
- Re‑details that Education Secretary Linda McMahon has threatened Title IV consequences for institutions that fail to provide seven years of disaggregated race‑ and sex‑based admissions data.