Federal Judge Puts Hold on HHS Vaccine Schedule Changes

A federal judge put a hold on ACIP’s decisions to overhaul childhood vaccination schedules, ruling that HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. had “improperly replaced the entire committee” beforehand. NPR reported on the news.

The Trump administration plans to appeal the decision. HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said that “HHS looks forward to this judge's decision being overturned just like his other attempts to keep the Trump administration from governing.” He also confirmed that ACIP’s planned meeting this week had to be postponed as a result of the ruling; the committee was to “raise new questions about the COVID-19 vaccines and possibly revamp how federal vaccine policies are formulated.”

The judge ruled that ACIP had made “arbitrary and capricious decisions, ignoring a long-used, well-regarded scientific process for developing vaccine policies.” The ruling also “stays the appointment of 13 committee members appointed by Kennedy since June 2025, when the previous members were fired.”

SHEA and APIC together published a statement applauding the judge’s decision. They wrote that they believe the outcome of this lawsuit will “restore clarity and stability to the U.S. vaccine recommendation process. The underlying science, research, and manufacturing that support vaccines have not changed, and childhood vaccinations continue to play an important role in protecting the health and safety of children, families, and communities.”