Overview
- U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy rejected the administration’s standing arguments, clearing prominent medical societies to press their case in Boston.
- Plaintiffs including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American Public Health Association and Infectious Diseases Society of America seek to void all ACIP votes since June.
- The lawsuit targets actions following Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s overhaul of ACIP, including a December vote to drop the broad recommendation that all newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine.
- The complaint also cites a shift making COVID-19 vaccination a shared decision with clinicians adopted by the CDC in October after ACIP’s September vote, and alleges unlawful direction in May to strip guidance for pregnant women and children.
- The groups told the court they will seek expedited relief ahead of ACIP’s Feb. 25–26 meeting, and in a statement flagged what they described as a Jan. 5 federal move to narrow several childhood vaccine recommendations.