A federal judge blocked the Education Department from requiring more colleges to submit detailed race-and-sex applicant and enrollment data while a lawsuit over the department’s new survey is litigated. U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor granted a preliminary injunction covering six higher-education associations and private colleges, and also paused enforcement against similar institutions in largely Democratic states. The injunction covers roughly 178 additional colleges, including selective-admissions institutions such as Harvard and Ohio State. The department’s survey would require extensive data submissions (including GPA, standardized test scores, and family income) for the 2025–26 academic year and the prior six years. The ruling also prevents the department from seeking civil penalties or initiating other enforcement actions during the court challenge, reducing immediate compliance risk for many campuses preparing reporting systems.