Two legal fronts opened this week over federal requests for admissions and applicant data. A federal judge quashed subpoenas aimed at the Federal Reserve in a probe tied to testimony by Chair Jerome Powell, criticizing the government’s weak evidentiary showing. Separately, 17 states sued the U.S. Department of Education over a sweeping new requirement that colleges submit six years of disaggregated applicant and admissions data. The twin developments signal growing judicial and state resistance to aggressive federal data demands. Colleges already facing burdensome IPEDS changes now confront the prospect of protracted litigation and uncertain deadlines for compliance. Higher-education compliance offices and registrars face immediate operational pressure: meeting novel reporting requirements while monitoring shifting court orders. Trustees and presidents should expect increased scrutiny from state attorneys general and potential delays in Education Department enforcement as litigation proceeds.