now. let's go to nbc news justice correspondent pete williams with more on that. hey, pete. >> good day to you. this involves the very controversial issue of research using human embryonic stem cells. last year a federal judge here in washington said the federal government could not use federal money to pay for research using embryonic stem cells and threatened to bring to a halt research that was going on in many clinics and universities around the country. it was considered a victory for opponents and a great defeat for people who think that embryonic stem cells hold promise for a cure for a number of diseases. a federal appeals court overturned that lower court ban by a vote of two to one. a panel lifted the injunction that blocked the federal government from spending any federal money to finance research using human embryonic stem cells. the panel said that the congressional language that the