Arabic version: قاضي اتحادي يوقف جمع بيانات العرق من قبل ترامب للجامعات
A federal judge has halted efforts by the Trump administration to collect data on university applicants’ race, following a lawsuit from a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general. The ruling, issued by US District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Boston, will specifically apply to public universities in the plaintiffs’ states. According to The Guardian, the judge indicated that while the federal government may have the authority to gather such data, the demand was executed in a “rushed and chaotic” manner.
Judge Saylor criticized the 120-day deadline imposed by President Trump, which he argued prevented meaningful engagement during the notice-and-comment process. He noted that this haste could lead to significant challenges for universities attempting to comply with the new requirements. The data collection effort was initiated by Trump in August after he raised concerns that colleges were using personal statements and other proxies to consider race, which he views as illegal discrimination.
The lawsuit contended that the data collection poses risks to student privacy and could result in unwarranted investigations into colleges. The plaintiffs’ attorney, Michelle Pascucci, emphasized that the timeline for data submission was insufficient, arguing that it was designed to expose unlawful practices rather than to ensure compliance with the law.
The Department of Education defended the data collection, asserting that transparency is necessary regarding how federal funding is utilized by educational institutions. The administration’s policy mirrors previous settlement agreements with universities, such as Brown University and Columbia University, which involved data sharing about applicants’ race, grades, and test scores. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated that the data must be disaggregated by race and sex and reported retroactively for the past seven years.
Failure to provide accurate data could lead to actions under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which governs federal financial aid requirements. The Trump administration has also initiated legal action against Harvard University for allegedly not complying with similar data requests, despite Harvard claiming it is in compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action.
