Judge Blocks Vaccine Schedule Revisions in Injunction

A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction on March 16, 2026, blocking the Trump administration's revisions to the childhood immunization schedule and halting operations of a key vaccine advisory committee, restoring prior recommendations while legal challenges proceed.

U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services, under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., likely violated federal laws when it restructured the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in June 2025 and announced changes to the vaccine schedule in January 2026. The revisions had reduced the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11. Murphy's 45-page order cited breaches of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires balanced membership and relevant expertise, as well as the Administrative Procedure Act's procedural standards. The judge stayed all new appointments to the committee except two made after the lawsuit was filed, voided prior votes by the reconstituted panel, and postponed an upcoming meeting, effectively sidelining the group.

The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit...