A federal judge has temporarily blocked a directive from the Donald Trump administration that would have compelled universities to submit data by next week to prove they no longer consider race in their admissions processes.
U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV, sitting in Boston, issued a temporary restraining order on Friday.
This action came at the request of 17 Democratic state attorneys who had launched legal proceedings.
Their lawsuit challenged a newly introduced component within the mandatory annual surveys, which the U.S. Department of Education uses to collect information from higher education institutions.
It follows news from last month which saw dozens of universities cut ties with The PhD Project, which helps racial minorities earn doctorate degrees.
The Trump administration had campaigned to end diversity programs in higher education.
The PhD Project, a previously lesser-known non-profit, came under scrutiny last year after attracting the attention of conservative strategists, leading to an investigation by the US Department of Education. The Republican administration contends that such diversity programmes frequently disadvantage white and Asian American students.
Launched in March 2025, the investigation has already seen 31 universities agree to terminate their partnerships with the group, according to the department’s Office for Civil Rights.
Discussions are ongoing with a further 14 institutions.
The department said in its statement that The PhD Project “unlawfully limits eligibility based on the race of participants” and that institutions partnering with it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in education programs and activities that receive federal money.
“This is the Trump effect in action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the nation,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said.
