Judge blocks parts of RFK Jr.'s vaccine agenda, including new childhood vaccine schedule

Updated on: March 16, 2026 / 8:04 PM EDT / CBS News

Judge blocks parts of RFK Jr.'s vaccine agenda, including new childhood vaccine schedule

TL;DR

  • A federal judge blocked changes to the recommended childhood vaccine schedule.
  • The ruling was a setback for the Trump administration's efforts to overhaul federal vaccine policy.
  • U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy ruled against HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's allies.
  • The lawsuit challenged the agency's decisions as arbitrary and capricious.
  • Kennedy had previously fired all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
  • The number of recommended immunizations was reportedly cut from 17 to 11.
  • The judge found that Kennedy's moves violated federal law and bypassed evidence-based recommendations.
  • The ruling halts a government memo enacting the new vaccine schedule and appointments of new ACIP members.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics celebrated the decision as a step to restoring scientific decision-making.