The preliminary injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor, blocks the data collection in 17 states that had sued to stop it. The states, all led by Democratic attorneys general, argued the expanded survey was an unlawful overreach designed to intimidate colleges over their admissions practices.
The survey was launched after a presidential memo in August directing the Education Department to collect information to probe whether colleges are discriminating against applicants based on race. It significantly broadened the scope of admissions data—including detailed breakdowns by applicant race, test scores, and legacy status—that institutions must submit to the federal government.
In his ruling, Judge Saylor, an appointee of President George W. Bush, found the administration failed to follow proper procedural rules in creating the survey. He noted that problems with the initiative were being "compounded" by the Trump administration's concurrent push to dismantle the Education Department itself.
An Agency in Transition
The states argued that the department's capacity to handle the complex data had been gutted, with staff at its National Center for Education Statistics slashed from about 100 to only three employees. The administration countered that 13 employees remained and that contractors would manage the work.
Judge Saylor wrote that the government was "conspicuously silent" on how the data would be processed and analyzed once the Education Department is shuttered. "This is not a merely technical issue," he wrote, emphasizing that the statistical work could not simply be delegated to states or local entities unprepared for the task.
The ruling stands as a stark illustration of how the administration's broader goal of reducing the federal bureaucracy is directly conflicting with its policy objectives. The effort to close the department has now actively impeded its ability to execute a presidential directive.
The injunction is a major victory for the coalition of states and a blow to the administration's campaign against the use of race in college admissions. The Justice Department is expected to appeal the decision.
