“Historical”
Vaccination policy – judge stops Trump’s health minister
March 16, 2026 – 11:45 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
A US judge has temporarily stopped the change in vaccination policy under President Trump. He criticized the controversial Health Minister’s actions.
A US judge has temporarily stopped the change in vaccination policy under President Donald Trump. Federal Judge Brian Murphy ruled Monday that the changes brought about by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were “arbitrary” and violated scientific methods and well-established procedures. Specifically, the judge criticized the reduced vaccination schedule for children and the limited recommendations for corona immunizations.
The Trump administration “disregarded the traditional process for vaccination recommendations and thereby undermined the honesty of its actions,” said Judge Murphy, who was appointed by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden. In doing so, he upheld complaints from medical associations.
The Association of Pediatricians called the decision “historic and welcome.” The changes made by Kennedy’s newly appointed immunization committee have “created chaos and confusion for parents and pediatricians across the country,” the association said.
The committee, which was partly made up of vaccination skeptics, had recommended, among other things, that immunizations against rotaviruses, influenza and hepatitis B. be deleted from the vaccination plan for children.
According to a spokesman, the Ministry of Health expects the decision to be overturned in the next instance. Kennedy himself is considered a vaccine skeptic and had commissioned the committee to review the rules, which are more than 30 years old. The nephew of former President John F. Kennedy links immunizations with autism in children. However, this has not been scientifically proven.
The background is increasing vaccine skepticism in the USA. Experts warn of a return of potentially deadly diseases that were thought to have been largely eradicated. Last year, the United States experienced the largest measles outbreak in more than 30 years, with more than 1,400 cases.
