From the Associated Press: A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked federal health officials from cutting the number of vaccines recommended for every child, and said U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. likely violated federal procedures in revamping a key vaccine advisory committee.
The decision halts an order by Kennedy — announced in January — to end broad recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV.
A number of leading medical groups raised alarms that the vaccine recommendation changes made under Kennedy would undermine protections against a half-dozen diseases. And the American Academy of Pediatrics and some other groups amended a lawsuit they had filed in July, asking the judge to stop the scaling back of the nation’s childhood vaccination schedule.
The original lawsuit, in federal court in Boston, focused on Kennedy’s decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for most children and pregnant women.
In addition to blocking HHS from cutting the number of recommended vaccines for children, Judge Brian E. Murphy also struck down Kennedy’s ability to decide who sits on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises public health officials on what vaccines to recommend to doctors and patients.
Kennedy had fired the entire 17-member panel last year and replaced it with a new group of advisors. Murphy ordered the appointments — and all decisions made by the reformed committee — to be put on hold.
The advisory panel had been scheduled to meet this week to review multiple issues, including Covid 19 vaccines. Now that meeting has been postponed, since the judge’s ruling.
READ MORE from the Associated Press.
🚨 JUST IN — JUDICIAL COUP: Biden activist Judge Brian Murphy just STRUCK DOWN Health Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s move to recommend fewer vaccines for young children
The judge also unilaterally struck down Kennedy deciding who serves on the Advisory Committee on Immunization… pic.twitter.com/x9rdEvlrRs
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 16, 2026
Judge Murphy has made multiple rulings against the Trump administration. Some of Murphy’s rulings have been slapped down by higher courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
ABOUT THIS JUDGE: Brian E. Murphy is serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He was nominated by Joe Biden in March 2024 and confirmed by the Senate in December 2024 by a 47-45 vote. He was among a group of judges who Democrats pushed through in the last weeks of the Biden administration.
The following senators were not present for the vote:
- Cramer (R-ND)
- Fetterman (D-PA)
- King (I-ME)
- Manchin (I-WV)
- Risch (R-ID)
- Rubio (R-FL)
- Sinema (I-AZ)
- Vance (R-OH)
If the four Republicans had shown up to vote, they could have blocked Murphy’s nomination.
Meet Biden-appointed federal judge Brian Murphy who just BLOCKED HHS Secretary RFK Jr.’s policy to SLASH the number of routine childhood vaccinations from the current schedule down to just 11!
Remove these activist judges! pic.twitter.com/JUNORNqnOX
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) March 16, 2026
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