A federal judge on Friday issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration's efforts to collect data from universities to prove they are not considering race in admissions decisions.

U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Boston granted the injunction following a lawsuit filed by a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general. The ruling applies only to public universities in the plaintiff states.

The Trump administration had ordered the data collection after raising concerns about race being used as a factor in college admissions. However, Judge Saylor criticized the implementation, describing the administration's demand as having been rolled out in a "rushed and chaotic" manner.

The legal challenge emerged earlier this month when the coalition of state attorneys general filed suit against the federal requirement. The preliminary injunction will remain in effect while the case proceeds through the courts.

The dispute represents the latest clash between the Trump administration and state officials over education policy and civil rights enforcement in higher education admissions practices.