A federal judge in Massachusetts on Monday blocked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent review of the national childhood vaccination schedule, a major blow to his vaccine policy.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other medical groups against the Department of Health and Human Services, alleging that President Kennedy’s vaccine recommendations and changes to the influential Vaccine Advisory Committee violate federal law.
In January, President Kennedy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made major changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, reducing the number of diseases for which vaccination is recommended from 18 to 11. This change removed the recommendation that all infants be protected against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, RSV, dengue fever, and two types of bacterial meningitis.
In response, more than 200 organizations, including the American Medical Association, March of Dimes, and Autism Science Foundation, announced they would ignore the changes and instead follow the AAP’s vaccination schedule.
The judge also put a hold on new members appointed by President Kennedy to the CDC’s Vaccine Advisory Committee since June. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices helps develop U.S. vaccine policy, including recommendations that affect childhood vaccine schedules and which immunizations should be covered by insurance.
The panel was scheduled to meet Wednesday and Thursday. AAP lawyer Richard Hughes said the judge’s decision effectively halted the conference.
Ministry of Health officials confirmed the meeting had been postponed.
The ruling also blocked any votes taken by the Kennedy administration’s ACIP since June, including a vote not to recommend hepatitis B vaccines for all newborns.
The decision is a setback for Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has vowed to restore trust in public health institutions, but experts say the policy is controversial, creating confusion among pediatricians and furthering distrust in childhood vaccinations. A recent study from the Annenberg Center for Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania found that trust in public health institutions has declined during President Donald Trump’s second term.
“Today is a day to celebrate the victory of science over misinformation,” said Dr. Richard Besser, President of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “This is a huge blow to President Kennedy’s vaccine policy.”
AAP President Dr. Andrew Racine said the ruling “reestablishes some clarity” about childhood vaccinations. “If you have questions about the appropriate vaccination schedule for your child, it’s best to consult your pediatrician.”
HHS officials said the agency will appeal the decision. Hughes suggested the case could end up in the Supreme Court.
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said in a statement that the agency “looks forward to this judge’s ruling being overturned, as are his other attempts to thwart the Trump administration’s rule.”
Since taking office, President Kennedy has made a series of moves to reshape federal vaccine policy.
In June, President Kennedy fired all 17 members of ACIP and replaced them with his own appointees, many of whom were critical of vaccines.
He also announced new rules for how vaccines are tested, which experts say will make it harder to approve new vaccines. President Kennedy also issued policies restricting the use of coronavirus vaccines, making it harder for people under 65 to get them, and removing recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women to get them. He also took a tougher stance on shots using mRNA technology.
Correction (March 16, 2026, 6:08 PM ET): A previous version of this article incorrectly stated how vaccine recommendations changed under the Kennedy administration. The CDC has changed the number of diseases for which vaccination is recommended from 18 to 11, rather than the number of doses.
