WASHINGTON — A federal judge has issued an order shielding a Michigan business from a requirement of the new health care law to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives at no charge to female employees.

The judge, Robert H. Cleland of the Federal District Court in Detroit, said last week that the requirement could infringe on “the sincere exercise of religious beliefs” by the owner of the company. He agreed to issue a preliminary injunction to stop the government from enforcing the requirement against two of the plaintiffs, Daniel Weingartz and his family-owned business, Weingartz Supply Co., in Utica, Mich.

Mr. Weingartz, a Roman Catholic, said he had devised a health plan that, in keeping with his religious beliefs, excluded coverage of contraceptives.

His business, a secular for-profit company, sells outdoor power equipment and employs about 170 people.