A federal judge has blocked key parts of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s efforts to reshape U.S. vaccine policy, including significant changes to the childhood vaccine schedule and appointments to a key advisory committee. According to multiple reports, U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy sided with medical groups who argued that Kennedy unlawfully reshaped federal policies in ways that would increase barriers to getting vaccinated.
Key Takeaways
A federal judge has blocked key parts of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s efforts to reshape U.S. vaccine policy, including changes to the childhood vaccine schedule and appointments to a key advisory committee.
- Federal Judge Brian E. Murphy halted an order by RFK Jr. to end broad recommendations for several vaccines
- The ruling also stopped the appointments of 13 new Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) members
- Medical groups argued that Kennedy unlawfully reshaped federal policies, increasing barriers to vaccination
- The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical organizations filed a lawsuit against RFK Jr.'s changes
- Federal health officials plan to appeal the decision
The ruling halts an order by Kennedy — announced in January — to end broad recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV. The decision also halted the appointments of 13 new Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) members and all votes taken by them. According to AP News, Kennedy likely violated federal procedures in revamping the key vaccine advisory committee.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other groups amended a lawsuit they had filed in July, asking the judge to stop the scaling back of the nation’s childhood vaccination schedule. The original lawsuit focused on Kennedy’s decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for most children and pregnant women.
Judge Murphy's ruling has been seen as a significant victory for public health and evidence-based medicine. According to Reuters, leading medical groups raised alarms that the vaccine recommendation changes made under Kennedy would undermine protections against several diseases. Federal health officials indicated they planned to appeal the decision, per AP News.
The judge stated that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in showing that the reconstitution of ACIP and the January 2026 changes to the childhood immunization schedule violate the Administrative Procedure Act. According to Ars Technica, Judge Brian Murphy determined that Kennedy’s actions were reviewable and noted that ACIP has been providing expert guidance on vaccine use since 1964.
The ruling was in response to a lawsuit brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics and several other medical groups against Kennedy. According to Chicago Tribune, Illinois adopts the AAP vaccine schedule, shunning federal recommendations. The decision was hailed by leading health groups that brought the lawsuit, as well as infectious disease experts around the country.
BBC News adds that since taking office a year ago, Kennedy has sought to change and loosen vaccine regulations, including slashing the number of recommended shots for children from 17 to 11. Judge Murphy also suspended Kennedy's appointments to an advisory vaccine panel, many of whom were vaccine-sceptics. The ruling means a scheduled Wednesday meeting for the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (Acip) will be postponed.
The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling. In a statement, HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said the agency 'looks forward to this judge's decision being overturned just like his other attempts to keep the Trump administration from governing'. Medical groups who brought the suit lauded the decision, including the American Medical Association, which called it 'an important step toward protecting the health of Americans, particularly children'.
After taking the helm at HHS, Kennedy fired all members of Acip and replaced them with his own picks, many expressing sceptical views about vaccines. Judge Murphy noted that Acip has moved away from making decisions through 'a method scientific in nature and codified into law through procedural requirements'. He added that Kennedy had not used the 'rigorous screening' typically involved in choosing panel members when he installed his replacements.
Murphy also ruled that the Trump administration had bypassed Acip altogether to make changes to the vaccine schedule, calling it a 'technical, procedural failure'. The lawsuit covered other changes Kennedy has implemented since taking office, including reducing the number of recommended childhood vaccines and changing recommendations for newborn babies.
How this summary was created
This summary synthesizes reporting from 17 independent publishers using AI. All sources are cited and linked below. NewsBalance is a news aggregator and media literacy tool, not a news publisher. AI-generated content may contain errors or inaccuracies — always verify important information with the original sources.