A federal judge on Monday suspended the overhaul of US vaccination policy initiated by Donald Trump's Health Secretary, vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr., according to a ruling seen by AFP.
Believing that the American government "disregarded" the science-based methods normally used to justify such decisions, this judge from Massachusetts, a northeastern state of the United States, blocked, at least temporarily, several changes made last year by the Trump administration to vaccination recommendations and schedules.
This suspension thus deals a severe blow to the overhaul of the vaccination policy promoted by the Minister of Health and strongly criticized by many doctors.
When contacted by AFP, a spokesperson for the US Department of Health said they were "eagerly awaiting the reversal of this judge's decision."
This followed a complaint filed last July by several healthcare associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Society of Infectious Diseases (IDSA), which accused the minister, known for his long-standing anti-vaccine stance, of breaking the law by unilaterally changing Covid-19 vaccination recommendations.
In May 2025, Robert Kennedy Jr. announced on his social media that federal authorities would no longer recommend Covid-19 vaccines to children and pregnant women.
– Experts dismissed –
The organizations also denounced RFK Jr's dismissal of all the experts from a prominent group responsible for issuing vaccination recommendations in the United States called ACIP and their replacement by figures largely contested for their lack of expertise or their relaying of false information about vaccines.
In his decision, the judge notes that of the current "fifteen members" of the committee, "only six appear to possess significant experience in the field of vaccines," even though this is the core of their mission.
Since their appointment, they have indeed overturned American vaccination recommendations, notably by ceasing to recommend the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns and by changing vaccination recommendations on Covid-19 and measles, always against the advice of many healthcare professionals.
All of these decisions have been suspended until further notice by the judge.
The committee, which was also due to meet later this week to issue further recommendations, has also had its activities suspended.
– “Victory for public health” –
For Jason Goldman of the American College of Physicians, this decision constitutes a "victory for public health and reaffirms that national vaccination policy must be based on rigorous, evidence-based science, not political considerations."
"The scientific consensus and mountains of data show that the vaccines are safe and effective," he reiterated in a statement.
Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has regularly questioned the safety of vaccines since taking office and has initiated a profound overhaul of vaccine policy as well as American health agencies through significant layoffs and massive budget cuts.
"He has sown unnecessary confusion and mistrust around vaccination recommendations," Ronald Nahass, president of the American Society of Infectious Diseases, criticized, welcoming this setback imposed on the Trump administration.
The US government is expected to appeal this decision, which is likely to pave the way for a long legal saga.
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