The ruling places a hold on any decisions made by the council, although the government does plan to appeal the ruling.
A federal judge disagrees with HHS Secretary Kennedy and the CDC on vaccines.
Specifically, Boston US District Court Judge Brian Murphy ruled that Kennedy improperly replaced the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee last year, NPR reports.1 As a result, Murphy placed a hold on decisions made by the current committee.
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In a statement issued by one of the plaintiffs in the case,2 the IDSA, confirmed that the ruling agreed that the secretary’s actions violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The hold impacts that revised vaccine schedule issued by HHS earlier this year, along with decisions made regarding the COVID 19 vaccine and Hepatitis B vaccines.
The other plaintiffs in the suit include:
The plaintiffs also includes three individuals listed as Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, and Jane Doe 3.
In the IDSA’s statement, attorney for the plaintiffs Richard Hughes IV of Epstein Becker Green said, “This ruling is a momentous step toward restoring science-based vaccine policymaking. The judge recognized that the actions of Secretary Kennedy and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices are not grounded in science and that they are destructive. We are thrilled that the court has discarded the baseless vaccine schedule changes made by Secretary Kennedy and is blocking the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices from doing further damage to vaccine policy."
American Academy of Pediatrics president Andrew P. Racine, MD, PhD, FAAP, added, “Today's ruling is an historic and welcomed outcome for children, families, pediatricians and communities across the United States. For many years the American Academy of Pediatrics, in collaboration with partners in the federal government, recommended a schedule of immunizations to promote children's health and development. Today's ruling marks an important step toward restoring scientific decision-making that is at the heart of that partnership. Protecting the health and safety of America's children is what prompted the AAP to petition the court for this decision from the outset and that goal will remain our guiding principle."
NPR also reports that an upcoming meeting of the CDC vaccine committee scheduled for later this week will be postponed as a result of the ruling.1 An HHS spokesperson told the news outlet, “HHS looks forward to this judge's decision being overturned just like his other attempts to keep the Trump administration from governing.”
Adding to Secretary Kennedy’s woes, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) is pushing for a hearing in Congress to directly address claims made by the secretary that Sanders says suggest that there is a link between vaccines and autism.3 Sanders publicly issued a letter to Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassady (R-Louisianna), who was the deciding vote in Secretary Kennedy’s appointment hearings last year.
In a letter shard with NBC News, Sanders wrote, “The reality is that since Secretary Kennedy has been in office, he has continued his longstanding crusade against vaccines and his advocacy of conspiracy theories that vaccines cause autism—all of which have been repeatedly rejected by scientists.”
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