Shortly after his inauguration, back in March of 2009, Barack Obama put forth an executive order that expanded embryonic stem cell research in the United States. The order lifted the Bush administration’s restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. However today, it was put on hold.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth’s ruling said that any embryonic stem cell research involves destroying embryos, which is against the Dickey-Wicker Amendment included in federal spending bills.

“The Dickey-Wicker Amendment unambiguously prohibits the use of federal funds for all research in which a human embryo is destroyed,” according to the ruling by Lamberth.”

The Justice Department is still reviewing Lamberth’s ruling. The hold is temporary, so nothing is set in stone yet.