Late yesterday afternoon, a federal judge temporarily enjoined enforcement of the STOCK Act against executive-branch employees.

 The STOCK Act, originally enacted to prohibit insider trading by members of Congress, also requires that members of Congress, their staffs, and senior executive branch employees promptly disclose any personal transactions involving securities.  The disclosures would be published on the Internet for all to see.  You can find Covington & Burling’s summary of the STOCK Act here.

 The law is scheduled to take effect at the end of this month.

 This preliminary injunction prevents enforcement against executive-branch employees only, sparing them the widespread disclosure of personal financial information—for now.