In a significant development amid ongoing legal battles, the U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated a key federal anti-money laundering law—the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)—at the request of the federal government.

This decision comes as an emergency stay, effectively nullifying a recent injunction issued by a federal judge that had temporarily blocked the law’s enforcement.

The CTA, which was passed in early 2021 as part of the annual defense bill, mandates that millions of business entities, including small business owners, provide detailed personal information—such as dates of birth and addresses—about their owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

The law is designed to combat money laundering and other financial crimes by shining a light on the opaque structures behind corporate ownership.

The case has been closely watched from the start. Late last month, the Biden-era Justice Department urgently appealed to the Supreme Court for intervention, arguing that the injunction threatened the federal government’s ability to enforce the law and protect the integrity of the financial system.