A federal judge in Boston has paused further proceedings in the American Academy of Pediatrics' lawsuit over Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine policy changes, leaving the next major decision to a federal appeals court that will hear arguments Oct. 6, STAT reported. The pause, issued Friday, Sept. 11, means the district court will wait for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to rule on the government's appeal.
For families, the practical effect is continued uncertainty heading into fall. A March order in the same case blocked Kennedy's revised childhood vaccine schedule and the federal vaccine advisory panel he rebuilt, and STAT reported that the panel remains in limbo and has not met. Parents booking checkups and seasonal shots are relying on pediatricians, state health departments, and medical societies for guidance.
