Federal judge halts RFK Jr.'s changes to children's vaccine policies

"Today's ruling is a historic and welcome outcome for children, communities, and pediatricians everywhere. The decision was hailed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other leading health groups that brought the lawsuit, as well as infectious disease experts around the country."

"The judge ruled that Kennedy and his committee had made arbitrary and capricious decisions, ignoring a long-used, well-regarded scientific process for developing vaccine policies. He wrote in his ruling, 'the government has disregarded those methods and thereby undermined the integrity of its actions.'"

U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy in Boston issued a hold on decisions made by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced the entire committee. The judge ruled that Kennedy's actions were arbitrary and capricious, disregarding established scientific processes for developing vaccine policies. The decision was supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and infectious disease experts. The ruling forced postponement of a scheduled ACIP meeting and blocked recommendations that would have raised questions about COVID-19 vaccines and reformed federal vaccine policy formulation. The administration announced plans to appeal the decision.

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