Trump Administration Appeals Block on Childhood Vaccine Overhaul

The United States Department of Justice appealed a March 16 ruling by a U.S. District Judge that blocked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s overhaul of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule. The original court decision found that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acted unlawfully by reducing recommended childhood vaccinations from 18 to 11 without conducting proper consultations.

Judge Brian Doyle-Murray also ruled that Kennedy unlawfully reconstituted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices by replacing independent experts with unqualified individuals. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups initiated the legal challenge, contending that these modifications endangered public health.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche described the lower court's ruling as lawless. The government argues it possesses broad authority to reshape vaccine policy to address declining public trust. The appeal, filed on April 29, moves the legal battle to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.