Upcoming Event
American College of Trial Lawyers’ Fourth Annual Trial Skills Workshop
Reuters via Reuters Connect//April 30, 2026//
Trump administration appeals judge’s order upending Kennedy’s vaccine policies
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, 2026. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo)
Reuters via Reuters Connect//April 30, 2026//
In brief
- Trump administration appeals Boston federal judge’s March ruling
- Judge blocked 13 vaccine advisory panel members
- Kennedy replaced advisory committee with vaccine skeptics
The Trump administration on April 29 appealed a federal judge’s ruling blocking key elements of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s push to reshape U.S. vaccine policy, including reducing the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccinations.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a notice of its plans to appeal U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy’s March 16 ruling, which also found that a vaccine advisory panel whose members were handpicked by Kennedy was unlawfully constituted.
That ruling forced the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to postpone a meeting scheduled to begin two days later, after Murphy concluded that 13 members had been selected through a “tainted” appointment process and barred them from serving.
The ruling dealt a significant setback for the reduced childhood vaccination schedule championed by Kennedy.
Administration officials indicated at the time that they planned to appeal, with now-Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche describing Murphy’s order as “lawless” and an “activist decision” on social media.
Murphy has earned the scorn of President Donald Trump and his allies for repeatedly blocking administration initiatives, including core parts of the Republican president’s hardline immigration agenda.
Any appeal would be heard by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is dominated by judges appointed by Democratic presidents. Any 1st Circuit ruling could later be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The lawsuit was filed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups, which said public health was at risk due to policies adopted under Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist picked by Trump to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that oversees various agencies including the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health.
The plaintiffs alleged that the CDC acted unlawfully on Jan. 5, when it cut the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccinations to 11 and downgraded the immunization recommendations for six diseases, including rotavirus, influenza and hepatitis A.
Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice had argued that while HHS welcomes debate about vaccine policy, Kennedy and officials under him have broad authority to change it to address what they said was a decline in public trust in vaccines following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Murphy agreed with the plaintiffs, saying the CDC lacked authority to unilaterally change the immunization schedule in January without consulting the advisory committee, which makes recommendations that shape U.S. vaccine practices and insurance coverage.
The judge, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, said the committee itself had been unlawfully reconstituted after Kennedy last year removed and replaced all 17 independent experts who previously served on the panel with people the plaintiffs said shared his vaccine skepticism.
Murphy said Kennedy, in picking new members, paid little to no attention to a federal law that requires such panels to be balanced, and picked “distinctly unqualified” individuals to serve on the committee that is supposed to be composed of experts on vaccines and immunization.
Murphy blocked 13 of its 15 members from continuing to serve and set aside earlier votes the panel took, including to downgrade recommendations for hepatitis B vaccines for newborns and COVID-19 shots broadly.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Berkrot)
The Trump administration on April 29 appealed a federal judge’s ruling blocking key elements of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s push to reshape U.S. vaccine policy, including reducing the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccinations.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a notice of its plans to appeal U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy’s March 16 ruling, which also found that a vaccine advisory panel whose members were handpicked by Kennedy was unlawfully constituted.
That ruling forced the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to postpone a meeting scheduled to begin two days later, after Murphy concluded that 13 members had been selected through a “tainted” appointment process and barred them from serving.
The ruling dealt a significant setback for the reduced childhood vaccination schedule championed by Kennedy.
Administration officials indicated at the time that they planned to appeal, with now-Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche describing Murphy’s order as “lawless” and an “activist decision” on social media.
Murphy has earned the scorn of President Donald Trump and his allies for repeatedly blocking administration initiatives, including core parts of the Republican president’s hardline immigration agenda.
Any appeal would be heard by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is dominated by judges appointed by Democratic presidents. Any 1st Circuit ruling could later be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The lawsuit was filed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups, which said public health was at risk due to policies adopted under Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist picked by Trump to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that oversees various agencies including the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health.
The plaintiffs alleged that the CDC acted unlawfully on Jan. 5, when it cut the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccinations to 11 and downgraded the immunization recommendations for six diseases, including rotavirus, influenza and hepatitis A.
Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice had argued that while HHS welcomes debate about vaccine policy, Kennedy and officials under him have broad authority to change it to address what they said was a decline in public trust in vaccines following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Murphy agreed with the plaintiffs, saying the CDC lacked authority to unilaterally change the immunization schedule in January without consulting the advisory committee, which makes recommendations that shape U.S. vaccine practices and insurance coverage.
The judge, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, said the committee itself had been unlawfully reconstituted after Kennedy last year removed and replaced all 17 independent experts who previously served on the panel with people the plaintiffs said shared his vaccine skepticism.
Murphy said Kennedy, in picking new members, paid little to no attention to a federal law that requires such panels to be balanced, and picked “distinctly unqualified” individuals to serve on the committee that is supposed to be composed of experts on vaccines and immunization.
Murphy blocked 13 of its 15 members from continuing to serve and set aside earlier votes the panel took, including to downgrade recommendations for hepatitis B vaccines for newborns and COVID-19 shots broadly.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Berkrot)
Share this!
Following multiple unsuccessful motions by the federal government to conceal the identity of a U.S. Immigratio[…]
April 30, 2026
Beginning on June 1, Marisol Garcia will take the helm of the independent state agency created in 2008 to give[…]
April 29, 2026
A Plymouth woman accused of faking her own death to interfere with court proceedings was held on $50,000 cash […]
April 28, 2026
An internal investigation into the Fall River Police Department’s use of a search warrant to unmask an alleg[…]
April 28, 2026
The Supreme Judicial Court raised serious constitutional doubts about a legislative stipends ballot question a[…]
April 28, 2026
Two Massachusetts men pleaded guilty in Boston federal court to conspiracy to damage Harvard Medical School wi[…]
April 26, 2026
Sign up for your daily digest of Massachusetts News.
Is the billable hour model fundamentally incompatible with lawyer well-being?
View Results
Delaware Chancery Court upholds Market Basket board’s firing of Arthur T. Demoulas, reinforcing bu[…]
A Superior Court judge ruled that a lis pendens was properly maintained after the seller allegedly r[…]
The Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments on whether to discipline Judge Shelley Joseph over IC[…]
Lawyers offer their thoughts on Rachael Rollins’ potential bid for her old job as Suffolk County d[…]
Experts warn small law firms risk lost value without succession planning, urging early communication[…]
A bankruptcy judge rules a grandfather’s failure to create a trust for his granddaughter constitut[…]
The Supreme Judicial Court has affirmed an award of more than $56 million in punitive damages in a w[…]
Appeals Court affirms $309K judgment in law firm dispute, finding no contract amendment and rejectin[…]
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly provides 24/7 legal news coverage and events honoring top legal professionals.
Get our free MLW e-alerts & breaking news notifications!
Subscribe for access to the latest digital and special editions.
© 2026 BridgeTower Media. All rights reserved.
Use of this website is subject to its Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy
This website uses cookies, web beacons, pixels, tags, software development kits, and related tracking technologies, as described in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, for purposes that may include website operation, analytics, analyzing site usage, enhancing site navigation optimizing a user’s experience, and third-party advertising or marketing purposes. Through these technologies, we and certain third parties may automatically collect information about your interactions with our website, such as your browsing behavior and page views. We also may share this information about your activity on our website with our social media, advertising, analytics, and other business partners. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of these technologies and that we can share information about your activity on our website with third parties in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. If you do not agree with our use of non-essential tracking technologies, please click “Reject All.” You may opt out of certain non-essential technologies by clicking “Cookie Settings.”
