CIRM Legal Update
For those following along at home, another milestone in the legal battles over state-funded embryonic stem cell research in California is reported at TechNewsWorld: "The 1st District Court of Appeal upheld a decision by a lower court judge who last year ruled in favor of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which was created when Proposition 71 was passed by 59 percent of the electorate in 2004. Opponents of the stem cell agency said after Monday's ruling that they likely would appeal to the state Supreme Court. ... Once again, the judiciary has upheld the constitutionality of California's innovative stem cell research project in its entirety, without equivocation, and with absolutely no room for further argument." Given the baseline motivation for the legal challenges - absolute opposition to embryonic stem cell research, as opposed to any of the specific fig leaves given by the legal folk - it seems unlikely this will be the last word. So long as they can raise funds and have an obvious next step, the anti-research opponents will continue working through the legal system.