Federal Judge Blocks Kennedy’s Vaccine Schedule Changes, Stays ACIP Appointments

A U.S. District Court judge has issued an order blocking changes to the childhood immunization schedule implemented by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and halting the appointments of 13 new members to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ruling, issued on March 16, 2026, stems from a lawsuit brought by a coalition of medical and public health organizations.

Background of the Lawsuit

The lawsuit, AAP et. Al. V Kennedy et. Al., was filed after HHS announced significant revisions to the national pediatric immunization schedule in January. Plaintiffs – including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, American College of Physicians, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Massachusetts Public Health Alliance, and three individuals – argued the changes were arbitrary and lacked a sound scientific basis. [The Hill]

Judge Murphy’s Ruling

U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy, a Biden appointee, granted a preliminary injunction against the reduced childhood immunization schedule. [The Hill] The judge stayed Secretary Kennedy’s 13 appointments to the ACIP, citing likely violations of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). All votes taken by the currently stayed ACIP were also halted. [IDSA]

Judge Murphy found that the government bypassed the ACIP in altering the immunization schedules, a procedural failure indicating a broader issue: an abandonment of the technical expertise embodied by the committee. He also criticized the removal of existing ACIP members and the lack of rigorous vetting for new appointees. [CBS News]

Concerns Regarding ACIP Member Qualifications

The judge specifically questioned the qualifications of several ACIP members, noting that only six of the fifteen current members appeared to have meaningful experience in vaccines. He identified six members – Dr. Hillary Blackburn, Dr. Evelyn Griffin, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, Dr. Kirk Milhoan, Dr. James Pagano, and Dr. Raymond Pollak – as lacking expertise in vaccines or immunization. An additional three members – Dr. Retsef Levi, Dr. Robert Malone, and Dr. Catherine Stein – were cited as having limited qualifications in the field. [CBS News]

Impact of the Ruling

The injunction stays the heavily revised vaccine schedule issued by HHS on January 5, and overturns the May 2025 Secretarial Directive on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. It also reverses the downgraded Hepatitis B vaccine recommendations. [IDSA] The ruling effectively prevents the implementation of the altered vaccine schedule and ensures that the ACIP cannot function in its current composition. [PRNewswire]

“ACIP as currently constituted cannot meet,” according to the court order. [PRNewswire]