U.S. Judge Upholds Order Blocking Federal Support for Stem-Cell Research

A federal district judge today refused to put on hold his ruling last month that barred the U.S. government from financing research on human embryonic stem cells. The Justice Department has appealed that unexpected ruling, by Judge Royce C. Lamberth, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, but it sought a stay from Judge Lamberth of his decision while the case is on appeal. Not surprisingly, Judge Lamberth declined to delay the effectiveness of his order. In its appeal to the judge, the Justice Department said stem-cell research would be seriously harmed by a sudden end to the flow of federal money. The National Institutes of Health has said that some federally backed stem-cell studies may continue.