California scored a final victory today in the ongoing legal battle over stem cell research, when the state’s Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that Proposition 71 is constitutional and dismissed the two remaining suits. 

The San Jose Mercury News reported:

The 2005 suits – backed by the California Family Bioethics Council, People’s Advocate and the National Tax Limitation Foundation – had claimed the institute lacks adequate state supervision and is riddled with conflicts of interest.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Bonnie Sabraw rejected those assertions in April last year. And the 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco reinforced her conclusion on Feb. 26 finding that "Proposition 71 suffers from no constitutional or other legal infirmity."

Now that the suits are dismissed, California can finally move forward with funding the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.   The last obstacle to state-funded stem cell research has fallen by the wayside. 

So, what’s next for stem cell research in this state?  I personally am hoping for a $3 billion breakthrough.