Staples and Office Depot Merger Blocked by Judge

(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge has blocked the proposed merger of Staples and Office Depot, saying the government had made the case that the merger had a "reasonable probability" of hurting competition in office supplies.

The injunction issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan likely means the last two national office-supply chains will drop their $6.3 billion merger plan. The companies had said they would do so if the ruling went against them.