New York AG Letitia James And 16 Attorneys To Sue Trump Admin For Demanding Sensitive Data From DEI-Inclusive Colleges
As the government continues its campaign against DEI, attorneys across the U.S. are determined to put an end to “unlawful” federal demands for sensitive student information.
Featured Image: AG Letitia James (photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Image)
On Tuesday, March 11, the Office of New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that they, along with 16 other attorneys general, are suing the Trump Administration over a sweeping new collection mandate targeting colleges and universities. The lawsuit challenges the U.S. Department of Education’s new “Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement” survey, which according to the AG’s press release, forces institutions to rapidly compile and report years of highly detailed admissions and student data, including information broken down by race, gender, income, and academic performance.
“Once again, this administration is trying to stretch the federal government’s authority to serve its own political agenda and target DEI initiatives,” said Attorney General James. “Colleges and universities should not be forced to turn over massive amounts of sensitive student data to satisfy another witch hunt. We are going to court to stop this unlawful mandate and protect institutions and students across the country.”
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The attorneys general seek to block the federal government from forcing institutions to submit this information, and argue that the Department of Education rushed new requirements into effect – which do not comply with the law – in their quest to target diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. In doing so, they are “placing an unmanageable burden on colleges and universities and creating serious risks to student privacy.”
Since 1986, the DoE has been collecting basic statistical information from colleges and universities using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). But according to James, the system (which had previously used 13 interrelated survey components) has abruptly changed, “creating an entirely new survey that requires schools to report detailed admissions data, purportedly to ensure colleges are not engaging in unlawful ‘affirmative action’ admissions practices.”
The admissions and student data now demanded by the federal government includes data broken down by race and gender, including test scores, grade point averages, family income ranges, financial aid information, and graduation outcomes. Seven years of historical data are required, even though schools have never been asked to track these metrics previously.
According to the complaint, on August 7, 2025, Donald J. Trump issued the Presidential Memorandum, Ensuring Transparency in Higher Education Admissions, which stated that IPEDS would become a tool to track “consideration of race in higher education admissions.” The memorandum purports “rampant use of ‘diversity statements’ and other overt and hidden racial proxies” which raise concerns about whether race is used in practice. “Greater transparency is essential to exposing unlawful practices and ultimately ridding society of shameful, dangerous racial hierarchies,” Trump’s directive reads.
The coalition, led by AG James, argues that the changes are being pushed through on an accelerated timeline without proper review around impact (which can also lead to inconsistencies in data), and without clear guidance about how schools should collect and submit the information. The attorneys general assert that these actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act, and are asking the court to block the federal government from requiring collection of this sensitive data.
“Educational institutions face hefty fines and other serious consequences, including potential loss of federal funding, if they fail to submit timely and complete data through IPEDS,” according to the filing.
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The attorneys general joining New York’s AG: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington.
The official Defendants are the U.S. Department of Education (and Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education) and the Office of Management and Budget (and Russell Vought as Director).
