Reports: Judge strikes down New York beverage rule

NEW YORK — A judge in New York has blocked a controversial law banning the sale of large-sized sugary drinks, according to published reports.

The New York Times reported that state Supreme Court justice Milton Tingling invalidated the law. Mayor Michael Bloomberg had pushed the rule as a way to promote healthier diets for New Yorkers, but it attracted widespread criticism as intrusive.

Tingling wrote that the rule was "arbitrary and capricious" because it would except certain drinks, such as those with a lot of milk, and would also apply only to establishments such as restaurants, but not to convenience stores.