A federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked sweeping changes to U.S. vaccine policy introduced by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, including an initiative to reduce the number of vaccines recommended for children.
The ruling by Judge Murphy also nullified Kennedy’s decision last June to fire all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), finding the move violated federal procedures. The judge ordered a halt to the government’s actions while the legal challenge proceeds, effectively reverting U.S. vaccine recommendations to the schedule in place before January.
In his decision, the judge highlighted “glaring gaps” in the qualifications of Kennedy’s handpicked replacements for the committee. While noting some members had expertise in other fields, the judge wrote that “only six appear to have any meaningful expertise in vaccines.” Federal guidelines require such technical committees to include persons with professional qualifications relevant to the specific tasks performed.
The ACIP has served as an independent panel of experts evaluating vaccine safety and efficacy since 1964. While the government argued in court that the ACIP is a “purely advisory entity,” medical groups contend its recommendations are the bedrock of U.S. public health policy, influencing insurance coverage and state-level requirements.
Government lawyers defended the policy shift, stating that President Donald Trump had directed a review of vaccine recommendations after identifying them as a “high outlier in the international community.” Kennedy has previously characterized the former committee as a “rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas.”
The lawsuit was spearheaded by a coalition of medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Public Health Association.
“If we are going to have vaccine recommendations for the children and families of this country, it has to be based on science,” said AAP President Dr. Andrew D. Racine. Dr. Jason Goldman, president of the American College of Physicians, described the injunction as a “win for public health” that safeguards a transparent, evidence-driven process.
Supporters of the HHS overhaul condemned the decision as judicial interference. Dr. Robert Malone, co-chair of the reconstituted ACIP, labeled the ruling “activist judicial intervention” that purports to “nullify the personnel decisions of a cabinet secretary.”
The Independent Medical Alliance further characterized the move as “judicial overreach to the extreme,” claiming the court arbitrarily changed rules without legal precedent.
An HHS official confirmed that a scheduled meeting of the reconstituted committee has been postponed as it currently lacks a valid membership. While the ruling provides a temporary pause on government action, it is not a final decision in the ongoing litigation. According to legal experts, appeals are unlikely to move to a higher court until the full case is decided.