Trump Appeals Judge's Order Upending Kennedy's Vaccine Policies

The Trump administration on Wednesday appealed a federal judge's ruling blocking key elements of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to reshape U.S. vaccine policy, including reducing the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccinations.

The  Department of Justice filed a notice of its plans to appeal Boston-based U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy's March 16 ruling, which also found that a vaccine advisory panel ‌whose members were handpicked by Kennedy was unlawfully constituted.

That ruling forced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's ​Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to postpone a meeting scheduled to begin two days later, after Murphy concluded that 13 members had been selected through a "tainted" appointment process and barred them from serving.

The ruling ⁠dealt a significant setback for the reduced childhood vaccination schedule championed by Kennedy.

Administration officials indicated at the time that ​they planned to appeal, with now-Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche taking to social media to describe Murphy's order as "lawless" and an "activist decision."

Murphy ⁠has earned the scorn of President Donald Trump and his allies for repeatedly blocking administration initiatives, including core parts of the Republican president's hard-line immigration agenda.

Any appeal would be heard by the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is dominated by judges appointed by Democrat presidents.

Any appellate court ruling could ‌later be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.