Court Issues Nationwide Injunction on Corporate Transparency Act

On December 3, 2024, in what was not at all surprising, a Texas court issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement and staying the compliance date of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA).   The Court found that the CTA is unconstitutional as outside of Congress’s power.

A full discussion of the CTA is included below.  The Texas court found that the CTA represents a federal attempt to monitor companies created under state law and eliminates the corporate anonymity feature designed by states charged with regulating corporate formation – both in violation of the U.S. Constitution and its explicit separation of powers.

The court’s opinion is strongly written, determining that the government could not justify the constitutionality of the law, regardless of every attempt.  In particular, the Plaintiff’s contend that CTA violates: (i) the Ninth and Tenth Amendments by intruding on State’s rights; (ii) the First Amendment by compelling speech and burdening individuals’ rights of association; and (iii) the Fourth Amendment by