CHICAGO – On July 21, a Cook County (Illinois) judge extended for another week a temporary restraining order blocking a proposed tax on sweetened beverages.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Judge Daniel Kubasiak heard arguments from the county and attorneys for the Illinois Retail Merchants Association on the county's motion to dismiss the order. Kubasiak said he would rule on the issue on July 28.

Kubasiak granted a temporary restraining order days after the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and several grocers filed a lawsuit against the Cook County Department of Revenue seeking to block the tax, which they argue is unconstitutional and too vague. The tax on sweetened beverages was to go into effect July 1.