A federal judge in Boston has stopped the Trump administration from collecting data on how universities handle race in their admissions processes, handing a major victory to Democratic-led states challenging the effort.
US District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV issued the preliminary injunction Friday, blocking data collection that the administration sought to use in proving that colleges have abandoned race-based admissions considerations.
The decision stems from a lawsuit filed this month by 17 state attorneys general, all Democrats. Their legal challenge focuses on the administration's authority to demand such information from public universities within their jurisdictions.
President Trump had initiated the data collection drive following his administration's stated concerns that race remains a factor in college admissions decisions at some institutions, despite legal restrictions on the practice.
The injunction applies specifically to public universities operating in the states represented by the lawsuit, meaning the restriction does not extend universally across higher education.
The ruling represents an early legal setback for Trump's push to scrutinize university admissions practices on racial grounds. The preliminary injunction serves as a temporary block while the underlying case proceeds through the courts.
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