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

## Summary
Health Federal judge halts RFK Jr.'s changes to children's vaccine policies March 16, 2026 7:03 PM ET Rob Stein A federal judge in Boston blocked changes to U.S. vaccine policies championed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Samuel Corum/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Samuel Corum/Getty Images A federal judge Monday dealt a major blow to the Trump administration's efforts to overhaul the nation's vaccine policies, including the controversial decision to slash the number of federally recommended vaccinations for children. Health Vaccine critics keep the pressure on, even as RFK Jr. shifts focus The administration plans to appeal the decision, according to Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon. "HHS looks forward to this judge's decision being overturned just like his other attempts to keep the Trump administration from governing," Nixon wrote in an email to NPR. He wrote in his ruling, "the government has disregarded those methods and thereby undermined the integrity of its actions." Shots - Health News RFK Jr. boots all members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee The ACIP, whose members Kennedy fired and replaced largely with new members who also criticized vaccines, had issued a series of contentious recommendations, including a recommendation that all babies get vaccinated against hepatitis B at birth.

## Article Content
Health
Federal judge halts RFK Jr.'s changes to children's vaccine policies
March 16, 2026
7:03 PM ET
Rob Stein
A federal judge in Boston blocked changes to U.S. vaccine policies championed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
A federal judge Monday dealt a major blow to the Trump administration's efforts to overhaul the nation's vaccine policies, including the controversial decision to slash the number of federally recommended vaccinations for children.
Public Health
Health officials slash the number of vaccines recommended for all kids
U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy in Boston put a hold on the decisions made by an influential Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine advisory committee, ruling that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had improperly replaced the entire committee.
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
.
"Today's ruling is a historic and welcome outcome for children, communities, and pediatricians everywhere," said Dr. Andrew Racine, the pediatric academy's president.
Health
Vaccine critics keep the pressure on, even as RFK Jr. shifts focus
The administration plans to appeal the decision, according to Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon. "HHS looks forward to this judge's decision being overturned just like his other attempts to keep the Trump administration from governing," Nixon wrote in an email to NPR.
Nixon, confirmed, however that the ruling had forced the CDC vaccine committee, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, to postpone a meeting that was planned for Wednesday and Thursday. The committee was expected to raise new questions about the COVID-19 vaccines and possibly revamp how federal vaccine policies are formulated.
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."
Shots - Health News
RFK Jr. boots all members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee
The ACIP, whose members Kennedy fired and replaced largely with new members who also criticized vaccines, had issued a series of contentious recommendations, including a recommendation that all babies get vaccinated against hepatitis B at birth. The judge's ruling stays the appointment of 13 committee members appointed by Kennedy since June 2025, when the previous members were fired.
Administration lawyers had argued that the changes were the result of different interpretations of vaccine data.
"This is a significant victory for public health, evidence-based medicine, the rule of law, and the American people," Richard Hughes, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told reporters after the ruling.
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- Administration lawyers had argued that the changes were the result of different interpretations of vaccine data. "This is a significant victory for public health, evidence-based medicine, the rule of law, and the American people," Richard Hughes, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told reporters after the ruling.

### Areas for Consideration
N/A

### Implications
- Administration lawyers had argued that the changes were the result of different interpretations of vaccine data. "This is a significant victory for public health, evidence-based medicine, the rule of law, and the American people," Richard Hughes, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told reporters after the ruling.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers health, vaccine, committee topics. Notable strengths include discussion of health. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 471.