Plaintiffs include the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (led by Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell) and the sixteen other states, suing ED, its secretary, the Office for Civil Rights (implicitly via enforcement referrals), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and its director.[1][2][7] The ACTS survey expands the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) by requiring detailed, disaggregated admissions data by race, sex, and other demographics, originally due March 18, 2026, for antidiscrimination enforcement.[1][2][7] The court rejected claims that it exceeds NCES's statutory authority or violates the Paperwork Reduction Act, affirming broad authority for such data collection.[1][2]
Prior to the injunction, the court issued temporary restraining orders (TROs): on March 13 extending the deadline to March 25; after a March 24 hearing, to April 6 for plaintiff states' public institutions; and on March 31 to April 14 for intervenors like the Association of American Universities (AAU) and Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM).[2][4][5][9] ED had independently extended deadlines to March 31 (or April 8 with partial submission) for non-plaintiffs.[6][8] The rushed rollout stemmed from a presidential directive, politicizing data per plaintiffs, amid ED restructuring.[1][3][7]
The ruling is newsworthy due to its immediate impact on ~208 institutions enrolling 2.8 million students, potential for broader challenges encouraged by the arbitrary-and-capricious finding, and pending motions (e.g., AAU/AICUM intervention hearing on April 13), amid ongoing litigation with record retention ordered.[1][2][6] It highlights tensions over federal data mandates post-presidential transition, with institutions outside plaintiff states still facing compliance as of early April 2026.[2][7]