A medical director of a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect the lives and dignity of human embryos is disappointed by a recent court ruling to suspend a ban on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.

The court of appeals has put a temporary, administrative halt on Federal Judge Royce Lamberth's decision to end funding for the research while an emergency appeal from the government is considered. The Department of Justice asked that the injunction be lifted as the decision is appealed, arguing the funding freeze was causing "irreparable" harm to researchers, the federal government, and the patients hoping for cures...

LOS ANGELES - A federal judge said she will issue an order to halt the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, after she declared the ban on openly homosexual service members unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips ruled Thursday that the prohibition on openly homosexual military service members was unconstitutional because it violates the First and Fifth Amendment rights of homosexual men and women. The policy, she said, doesn't help military readiness and instead has a "direct and deleterious effect" on the armed services by hurting recruitment efforts during wartime and requiring the discharge of service members who have critical skills and training...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- An appeals court has overturned the temporary injunction a federal judge put in place stopping the Obama administration's taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research. With perhaps just days before the judge potentially issues a permanent injunction, Obama officials are scurrying to fund more research.

U.S. district court Judge Royce Lamberth granted a preliminary injunction against the funding, which Obama officials appealed.

Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington put on hold that injunction while Judge Lamberth reviews the lawsuit itself...

A Christian law firm is declaring victory following a court hearing in Florida over whether a Christian organization should be allowed to distribute free Bibles on campus.

Liberty Counsel appeared in federal court, seeking an injunction to immediately allow World Changers to hand out Bibles to interested students in Collier County schools during non-instructional time. Liberty Counsel attorney Horatio Mihet tells OneNewsNow the school board displayed an amazing change of heart at the hearing.

"The Lord showed us great favor, and towards the end of the hearing the school board, I believe, saw the writing on the wall and did a complete about-face." Mihet reports that it "agreed that the distribution is constitutional and agreed to allow the Bibles to be distributed again in their schools"...

A federal judge issued a temporary hold Monday on the Obama administration's new guidelines on human embryonic stem cell research, dealing the White House a serious setback in its efforts to promote the highly sensitive research with federal funding.

U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth granted a preliminary injunction to a coalition of researchers and Christian groups and gave them hope for a successful trial outcome by indicating that President Obama's executive order likely violates federal law.

In his March 2009 signing order, Mr. Obama lifted the Bush administration's restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The National Institutes of Health published its final guidelines on the research in July 2009...

The Florida Supreme Court will consider this week whether to restore Proposition C, a ballot measure that would prohibit the government from requiring people to have health insurance or from penalizing them for not having it, a key provision of President Obama's health care law.

The state high court will begin hearing oral arguments Wednesday. The Florida legislature in April approved the referendum, which is similar to the one Missouri voters overwhelmingly passed this this month, but a lower court removed the measure from the ballot last month, saying it was misleading and could confuse voters.

If the measure is restored, 60 percent of Florida voters would have to approve it to block the insurance mandate...

On Wednesday, a judge struck down California's same-sex "marriage" ban as a violation of the civil rights of homosexuals, but a pending appeal of the landmark ruling could prevent same-gender weddings from resuming in the state any time soon.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker overturned the voter-approved ban known as Proposition 8 Wednesday, declaring that limiting marriage to a man and a woman serves no legitimate purpose and is an "artifact" rooted in "unfounded stereotypes and prejudices."

While the ruling affects only California, the appeal will go to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over nine Western states. Walker said he would consider waiting for the Ninth Circuit to render its decision before he makes his opinion final and requires the state to stop enforcing the ban. The judge ordered both sides to submit written arguments by Friday on the issue...

SAN FRANCISCO - The first word on whether California's same-sex marriage ban passes scrutiny under the U.S. Constitution is scheduled to come down Wednesday when a federal judge issues his ruling in a landmark case.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has reached a decision on whether to uphold or overturn the voter-approved ban known as Proposition 8 and plans to publish his opinion in the afternoon, court spokeswoman Lynn Fuller said.

His verdict comes in response to a lawsuit brought by two same-sex couples and the city of San Francisco seeking to invalidate the law as an unlawful infringement on the civil rights of gay men and lesbians...

An attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is describing the ruling in a case at Eastern Michigan University, which is challenging a Christian's rights to maintain her beliefs, as "open season on Christians." A federal court has ruled in the university's favor, but that decision is being appealed.

Jordan Lorence, senior counsel with ADF, is disappointed by the federal judge's decision because, as he says, "it basically has no respect for the right of conscience of Christians or other people who have sincere beliefs about the proper definition of marriage and whether certain sexual behaviors can be immoral"....

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked some of the toughest provisions in the Arizona illegal immigration law, putting on hold the state's attempt to have local police enforce federal immigration policy.

Though the rest of the law is still set to go into effect Thursday, the partial injunction on SB 1070 means Arizona, for the time being, will not be able to require police officers to determine the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton also struck down the section of law that makes it a crime not to carry immigration registration papers and the provision that makes it a crime for an illegal immigrant to seek or perform work...