Bill Making Judiciary Post Stock Disclosures Online Passes House

A bipartisan bill that would require federal judiciary to post financial disclosures online and create stricter disclosure rules easily won U.S. House approval on Wednesday.

The chamber voted 422-4 on the Courthouse Ethics and Transparency Act (H.R. 5720). The legislation was introduced after a Wall Street Journal report found that 131 judges heard cases in which they or a family member held stock in a company involved in the case.

The Senate hasn’t yet acted on similar legislation.

Under the proposal, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts must create a searchable database of judicial financial disclosures. Those ...