Vaccine lawsuit against Kennedy could reach Supreme Court

A federal judge temporarily blocked HHS changes to the U.S. childhood immunization schedule and ordered prior recommendations restored, and the administration has vowed to appeal with the Supreme Court a possible venue for review.

A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked Health and Human Services changes to the U.S. childhood immunization schedule and questioned the process used to make those changes. The ruling responded to a lawsuit from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups that said HHS actions violated the Administrative Procedure Act. The judge also criticized the appointment process for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and ordered that prior vaccination recommendations be restored. The administration has said it will appeal the decision. Key points: - U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy found that the HHS changes likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act and temporarily enjoined the new recommendations. - The order restores the vaccination recommendations that were in place when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took office and limits the committee’s ability to act while the injunction stands. - The administration has vowed to appeal, and legal experts said the case could reach the U.S. Supreme Court this term or be taken up in the court’s next term. Summary: The ruling pauses recent HHS changes to the childhood immunization schedule and halts certain committee actions while the legal challenge proceeds. Appeals are expected, and the Supreme Court could be asked to weigh in either on an emergency basis before the term ends or on the merits in its next term.