Federal judge blocks FTC noncompete ban

A federal judge Tuesday blocked a nationwide ban on noncompete agreements from taking effect in September.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted in April to ban most noncompete agreements, which prevent tens of millions of employees from leaving their jobs to work for competitors or start a competing business.

The Dallas-based tax firm Ryan LLC, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and other business groups sued to block the rule from going into effect,...