A federal judge on Friday halted efforts by the Trump administration to collect data that would prove that higher education institutions aren’t considering race in admissions.
U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Boston granted the preliminary injunction, following a lawsuit filed earlier this month by a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general. It will only apply to public universities in plaintiffs’ states.
The judge admitted that the President probably has the legal right to do it, but it was too “rushed and chaotic.”
The President ordered it in August, and they had until March 18th. The universities claimed it was rushed to the point of being “irresponsible.”
The administration wants a deal like the one they negotiated with Brown University and Columbia University, restoring their federal research money. The universities agreed to give the government data on the race, grade-point average, and standardized test scores of applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students. The schools also agreed to be audited by the government and to release admissions statistics to the public.