Judge strikes down law singling out Wal-Mart

In a victory for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., a U.S. judge struck down a new Maryland law that required the giant retailer to provide health insurance for its employees in the state.
Judge J. Frederick Motz in Baltimore ruled that a 1974 federal law trumped the Maryland state law, which had been backed by labour groups.
The law required companies with more than 10,000 employees to spend at least 8 per cent of their payroll on health benefits. Alternatively, big employers could pay the balance into a state low-income health insurance fund. Wal-Mart was the only employer affected by the law.