A federal judge dealt a blow to the Trump administration’s public health agenda on Monday, blocking implementation of an advisory panel’s controversial changes to the childhood vaccine schedule and casting doubt on the panel’s validity.
Judge Brian Murphy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction that halts the changes until he can rule on the merits of a lawsuit brought forward by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups. The panel was scheduled to meet this week, but the ruling stipulates it may not convene.
Murphy said plaintiffs challenging the changes are likely to succeed in their argument that appointments to the advisory panel violate the Administrative Procedure Act.
