In response to the petition's denial, medical cannabis advocacy group Americans for Safe Access appealed to the D.C. Circuit on January 23, 2012. Oral arguments in the case "Americans for Safe Access v. DEA" were heard on October 16, 2012. On the same day the case was heard, the court ordered the plaintiffs (ASA) to clarify their arguments on standing. In response, ASA filed a supplemental brief on October 22, 2012, detailing how plaintiff Michael Krawitz was harmed by the federal government's policy on medical marijuana due to being denied treatment by the Department of Veterans Affairs. A ruling that acknowledged Krawitz's standing, but ultimately stood by the DEA was made on January 22, 2013.