Trending Now - Bernie Sanders Calls for Hearing on RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Claims

WHO:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services

Donald Trump, President of the United States

Bill Cassidy, Senate Republican and Louisiana physician

Judge Brian Murphy, federal judge in Boston

American Academy of Pediatrics, group of medical organizations

Andrew Nixon, HHS spokesman

Jim O’Neill, then-acting CDC Director

Dorit Reiss, law professor at the University of California, San Francisco

Sam Bagenstos, University of Michigan professor and expert on health care law

Robert Malone, member of ACIP

WHAT:

A federal judge blocked several policy changes made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding vaccines.

The ruling was a 45-page decision that stated Kennedy violated legal rules for decision-making as HHS Secretary.

Judge Murphy's order "stays" several key actions taken by Kennedy’s department.

Kennedy canceled funding for vaccine research and withdrew federal recommendations for six childhood vaccines.

The CDC's decision in January to withdraw recommendations for vaccines was ruled illegal by Judge Murphy.

WHERE:

National Press Building, Washington, D.C.

Boston, Massachusetts (location of the federal court ruling)

WHEN:

The ruling was issued on Monday, March 16th, 2026.

Kennedy's actions regarding vaccines have been ongoing for the past year, starting in 2025.

The CDC's decision to withdraw recommendations occurred in January 2026.

A December 2025 vote by ACIP to withdraw a recommendation for hepatitis B vaccination at birth was also affected.

WHY:

The ruling was based on the argument that Kennedy's decisions did not comply with legal requirements for public health decision-making.

Concerns were raised about the integrity of public health decisions and the qualifications of those appointed to advisory committees.

HOW:

Judge Murphy ruled that Kennedy overstepped his authority by firing all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and replacing them with individuals critical of vaccines.

The ruling emphasized that federal law requires the CDC to consider ACIP's views when making vaccine recommendations.

(UPDATED March 18, 2026 11:17 UTC)

A federal judge in Boston has blocked several vaccine policy changes made by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ruling that he violated legal requirements for decision-making. Judge Brian Murphy's 45-page decision, issued last Monday, states that Kennedy overstepped his authority by dismissing members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and failing to comply with federal law regarding vaccine recommendations. The ruling also declared the CDC's earlier decision to withdraw recommendations for six childhood vaccines illegal, raising concerns about the integrity of public health decisions.