Judge halts Trump effort on college admissions : NPR

Key Points:

• A federal judge in Boston has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's effort to collect data from public universities intended to prove that race is not considered in admissions, citing a rushed and chaotic implementation.
• The lawsuit, filed by 17 Democratic state attorneys general, argues the data collection risks invading student privacy and could lead to baseless investigations, while universities claim insufficient time was given to comply.
• The Trump administration initiated the data collection after concerns that colleges use proxies like personal statements to consider race, following the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling against affirmative action but allowing consideration of race-related experiences if disclosed by applicants.
• The Education Department defends the data request as necessary for transparency in federally funded institutions, with potential penalties under the Higher Education Act if schools fail to comply; similar data demands have been part of settlement agreements with Brown and Columbia universities.
• Separately, the administration is suing Harvard University for allegedly refusing to provide admissions data, with the Education Department recently ordering Harvard to comply within 20 days or face referral to the Justice Department.