The human embryonic stem cell research was tossed in air last month, when the National Institutes of Health was ordered to discontinue their backing for research projects that entailed the cells, by Judge Royce Lamberth of the U. S. District Court in Washington, D. C.

A law known as the Dickey-Wicker Amendment does not allow the use of young embryos in the research, and therefore, forbids the Federal Government from sponsoring this research.

Lamberth wrote in Tuesday's ruling, "Congress has mandated that the public interest is served by preventing taxpayer funding of research that entails the destruction of human embryos".

The NIH and scientists throughout the nation were taken aback with Lamberth's ruling. He was requested by the Obama administration to remove the ban until the matter is resolved in court, however, Lamberth turned down the request on Tuesday.

As reported on the Nature website, the Government plans to file a plea.

Meanwhile, the legal specialists who had queried about the preliminary injunction are looking more confused than before. UCLA law professor Russell Korobkin wrote on the Volokh Conspiracy blog about the "logical inconsistency" of Lamberth's verdict.

But one thing is clear that Lamberth's ruling does not impede federal backing for projects, which had received consent from President George W. Bush.