A federal judge partially halted the Trump administration’s effort to collect admissions and student-level race data from about 200 public colleges under the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS). U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV of the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction covering public institutions in 17 states that filed suit. Saylor said the mandate was likely “arbitrary and capricious” and that colleges would face “immediate irreparable harm” if required to comply on the administration’s timeline. The ruling pointed to concerns raised during public comment, including allegations that the Education Department rejected feedback about rushed implementation in order to hit an “arbitrary and unexplained deadline.” The injunction applies only to public institutions in the covered states, leaving the larger legal battle over the scope of ACTS unresolved. The plaintiffs argue ACTS violates laws including the Administrative Procedure Act and imposes an unreasonable administrative burden. The administration also signaled that the data collection would integrate into federal reporting by adding ACTS to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a move institutions say would substantially expand compliance work.