The Trump administration has announced its intention to challenge a recent court decision.
In Boston, a federal judge has temporarily blocked U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s proposed changes to vaccine policies. This decision comes after the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), alongside other medical organizations, filed a lawsuit against the proposed changes.
On Monday, District Judge Brian Murphy ruled in favor of the AAP, effectively pausing the administration’s efforts to alter vaccine guidelines. Although this ruling is not conclusive, it imposes a temporary legal barrier on the proposed policy changes.
The lawsuit claims that the Trump administration ignored established scientific methodologies and bypassed legal standards when suggesting modifications to vaccine protocols. Among the contested changes is a plan to adjust the recommended vaccination schedule for children.
The plaintiffs highlighted five primary concerns in their legal challenge. In response, Judge Murphy issued a preliminary injunction, which halts the appointments and voting actions of Kennedy’s ACIP appointees. Additionally, the revised vaccination schedules have been suspended. This decision has been met with approval from the medical groups involved in the lawsuit.
- Kennedy’s order in May 2025 directing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending that pregnant women and “healthy” children receive the COVID vaccine.
- Kennedy’s termination of all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, in June 2025, then appointing new members in the following months.
- Kennedy’s alleged attempts to undermine the American Academy of Pediatrics’ published immunization schedules in a social media post, also in June of 2025.
- The Kennedy-appointed ACIP’s decisions to change official vaccine recommendations, which were voted on by the new cohort three times.
- An HHS memo issued in January 2026 announcing the revised childhood immunization schedule, which, among other changes, reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccinations from 17 to 11, limited the recommendations for several vaccinations for only “high-risk groups,” and downgraded designations for others.
The judge issued a preliminary injunction to stay Kennedy’s ACIP appointments, as well as all of their votes. Murphy also stayed the revised vaccination schedules. The decision was widely celebrated by established medical groups among the plaintiffs.
“Today’s ruling marks an important step toward restoring scientific decision-making that is at the heart of that partnership,” AAP President Dr. Andrew Racine said in a joint statement.
“This injunction underscores the need for using science in public health decision-making and using a process that engages qualified experts when it comes to recommending interventions that impact human health,” American Public Health Association CEO Georges Benjamin said. “Trust occurs when we engage the public in a transparent process, not one where decisions are made behind closed doors by unqualified individuals and presented in a disingenuous way.”
Trump administration officials have since expressed plans to appeal the decision.
“HHS looks forward to this judge’s decision being overturned just like his other attempts to keep the Trump administration from governing,” Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement.
