Colleges, Courts, and Compliance: Tracking the Fight Over Federal Higher Ed Policy

Since the start of his second term, President Trump has tried to remake American higher education less through Congress than through the machinery of the executive branch: Dear Colleague letters, executive orders, funding freezes, visa terminations, loan-forgiveness rewrites. Some of it has stuck, but a great deal of it hasn't — and many of the actions are still tied up in legal fights. 

The EDU Ledger has compiled a working record of where each action against colleges and universities currently stands: who ruled, on what grounds, and whether the fight is over or just paused. Litigation is fast-moving, and we will continue to update this page as statuses change.

Race, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Title VI 

Feb. 14, 2025 "Dear Colleague Letter" (Title VI) and the anti-DEI certification/complaint portal (Overturned) 

Office of Civil Rights guidance threatened federal funding over race-conscious admissions, hiring, financial aid, graduation ceremonies, and identity-based support programs. A companion mandate required institutions to certify compliance under threat of False Claims Act liability. 

American Federation of Teachers v. Dept. of Education (D. Md.) and NEA v. Dept. of Education (D. N.H.): Judge Stephanie Gallagher vacated both the Dear Colleague Letter and the certification requirement (Aug. 14, 2025), finding an unlawful legislative rule issued without notice-and-comment, unconstitutional vagueness, and viewpoint discrimination. 

Education Department dropped its appeal Jan. 22, 2026.