[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website] denied certiorari [order list, PDF] Monday in Sherley v. Sebelius [docket; cert. petition, PDF], which appealed a dismissal of a lawsuit [JURIST report] challenging the federal funding of human embryonic stem cell [JURIST news archive] research. The petition questioned President Barack Obama’s executive order [text; JURIST report] in 2009 that removed the previous administration’s eight-year restriction on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research. The court denied certiorari without comment. The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research [advocacy website] praised [press release] the denial: “This is a victory for scientists, patients, and the entire biomedical research community. Science can now continue to move forward, knowing the threat to promising research and funding has been eliminated.”

The court also declined to hear several other cases. The court refused to consider The Real Truth About Abortion, Inc. v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) [docket], a case on the vagueness of FEC regulations that require political action committees (PACs) to publicly disclose its finances. The court also rejected Hall v. Sebelius [docket], an attempt of a group of citizens to enroll in Social Security but not Medicare Part A. The court also denied GeorgiaCarry.Org, Inc. v. Georgia [docket], which challenged a Georgia statute that barred firearms from places of worship.