US judge blocks Kennedy vaccine policy overhaul

WASHINGTON: (Web Desk) – A US federal judge has blocked major vaccine policy changes introduced by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dealing a setback to the Trump administration’s health initiatives. The ruling came Monday in Massachusetts, halting key elements of the pediatric immunization schedule overhaul and the recommendations made by Kennedy’s hand-picked advisory panel.

Under Kennedy, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced sweeping revisions to childhood vaccines, reducing the number of shots universally recommended for diseases including flu and hepatitis B. The health secretary also replaced members of the influential Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) with figures aligned with his own skeptical views on vaccines.

Several leading medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physicians, filed a lawsuit challenging the changes. Judge Brian Murphy sided with the plaintiffs, stating that the government’s actions were “arbitrary and capricious” and violated established scientific procedures.

“There is a method to how these decisions historically have been made—a method scientific in nature and codified into law through procedural requirements,” the judge wrote. “Unfortunately, the government has disregarded those methods and thereby undermined the integrity of its actions.”

The ruling specifically blocks the implementation of Kennedy-era ACIP recommendations and invalidates the January memo that altered the childhood vaccine schedule without following proper procedure. Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the department “looks forward to this judge’s decision being overturned,” and a scheduled ACIP meeting was postponed.

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Medical organizations welcomed the ruling. The American Academy of Pediatrics called it “historic and welcome,” noting that the Kennedy-era changes had “sowed chaos and confusion for parents and pediatricians across the country.” They praised the decision for restoring science-based decision-making to federal vaccine policy.

The ruling is expected to be appealed, setting the stage for a prolonged legal battle between federal authorities and medical organizations over control of immunization policy. Experts have voiced concern that Kennedy’s ACIP appointments and policy revisions could have endangered public health, including changes such as removing universal hepatitis B vaccination for newborns. Judge Murphy noted that only six of the fifteen current ACIP members had meaningful vaccine expertise.