Judge halts Trump effort requiring colleges to show they aren't considering race in admissions
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- A federal judge in Boston blocked the Trump administration's effort to collect data from public universities in certain states to prove that race is not considered in admissions, citing a rushed and chaotic rollout of the demand.
- The lawsuit was filed by 17 Democratic state attorneys general who argued that the data collection risks invading student privacy and could lead to baseless investigations of colleges.
- The administration ordered the data collection after concerns that colleges used proxies like personal statements to consider race, despite the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action in 2023.
- The Education Department defended the data request as necessary for transparency in federally funded institutions, with failure to comply potentially leading to sanctions under the Higher Education Act.
- Separately, the Trump administration sued Harvard for refusing to provide admissions data, with the Education Department demanding compliance under threat of referral to the Justice Department.
