RFK Jr's changes to CDC vaccine guidance, advisory board blocked by judge

A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked most of the damage that anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F.

Kennedy Jr.

has done to federal vaccine guidance in his time in office.

In a 45-page ruling that opens with a quote from science communicator Carl Sagan, US District Judge Brian Murphy issued a temporary injunction that blocks:
The ruling stems from a lawsuit brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with several other medical groups, against Kennedy.

The groups challenged the legality of the unprecedented moves, which disregarded standard procedures and lacked the backing of scientific evidence.

“Today, faced with Plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary relief, the Court concludes that 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,” Judge Murphy wrote.

Earlier this month, US Department of Justice lawyer Isaac Belfer, defending Kennedy and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), argued that Kennedy’s actions as health secretary were wholly “ unreviewable .” More specifically, Belfer claimed that Kennedy could, without question, advise Americans to actively infect themselves with measles rather than get a vaccine against the disease if he wanted.

Murphy, however, determined that Kennedy’s actions were, in fact, reviewable.

In his consideration of the case, Murphy noted that ACIP has been providing expert guidance on vaccine use since 1964, and that HHS has formalized it as a non-partisan and science-backed committee in its governance documents.

Congress in turn recognized the importance of the independent experts by cementing its role in setting CDC vaccine guidance.