A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit seeking to compel Harvard University to produce years of applicant-level admissions records as part of an investigation into whether the school continued to use race-conscious admissions practices after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions.

The ruling is notable less for what it decides on the merits than for what it prevents, at least for now: a federal court-backed effort to force disclosure of highly sensitive admissions data in service of a broader civil rights probe.