Appeals Court Temporarily Allows Stem Cell Funding

A federal appeals court today permitted US government funding of stem cell research to proceed for now, while it considers a judge's ruling that had temporarily shut off the funds. The government is asking the appeals court in Washington to strike down a preliminary order by US District Judge Royce Lamberth blocking federal funding for some stem cell research.

The three-member appeals panel says it is suspending Lamberth's ruling for now. The appeals judges say they want more time to deal with issues in the government's appeal. Twenty-two stem cell projects around the country were scheduled to receive new checks in September, and thus were presumed to be planning to stop work when their money ran out. (More appeals court stories.)