Hobby Lobby Wins Stay Against Birth Control Mandate

A federal judge on Friday granted a preliminary injunction exempting the arts and crafts chain Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. from a portion of the 2010 healthcare law requiring many companies to provide employees with insurance coverage for birth control.

The order by U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton in Oklahoma City excuses Hobby Lobby and its affiliated Mardel Christian bookstore chain from having to comply with the mandate.

The case is Hobby Lobby Stores Inc et al v. Sebelius et al, U.S. District Court, Western District of Oklahoma, No. 12-01000.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)