A federal judge has blocked a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission civil proceeding because the way administrative law judges are appointed violates the U.S. Constitution.

Southern District Judge Richard BermanNYLJ/Rick Kopstein

Southern District Judge Richard Berman granted a preliminary injunction sought by Barbara Duka, a former Standard & Poor's Rating Services executive accused of violating securities laws by failing to disclose a relaxed methodology for calculating debt services ratio.