Attorney General James Wins Court Order Blocking Unlawful Demands for Higher Education Admissions Data

April 3, 2026

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after a federal judge granted her motion for a preliminary injunction pausing the U.S. Department of Education's burdensome demand for extensive admissions data from public colleges and universities:

"This administration's crusade against DEI is dangerous. Students should not have to live in fear that their personal data will be handed over to the federal government, just as schools should not have to scramble to produce years of sensitive information to satisfy an arbitrary and unlawful demand.

"I am grateful the court acted swiftly to protect our public institutions while our case moves forward, and we will continue fighting to block this mandate for good."

Last month, Attorney General James and 16 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging the sweeping new federal data collection mandate targeting colleges and universities. Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted the coalition's motion for a preliminary injunction, exempting state colleges and universities from the new data demand while the case proceeds.