TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Judge Orders Silence in Microsoft-Intuit Case: The federal judge assigned to rule on the Justice Department’s effort to block Microsoft Corp.’s $2-billion acquisition of Intuit Inc. has ordered officials not to discuss the case with reporters. U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco issued the order last week, a Microsoft spokeswoman said. A Justice Department spokeswoman confirmed that attorneys have been ordered not to discuss the case further. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit last week seeking to block the merger of Microsoft and Intuit on antitrust grounds, saying the combination would give Microsoft control of the market for personal finance software.