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Article: RFK Jr. can promote getting measles with impunity, DOJ lawyer tells judge

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5 / 10

AI Summary (Processed Content)

A Trump administration lawyer argued in court that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. possesses "unreviewable" authority over U.S. vaccine policy, claiming his power is so broad he could legally recommend people avoid vaccines and expose themselves to disease.

This stems from a lawsuit by medical groups challenging Kennedy's actions, including altering COVID-19 policies, firing all CDC vaccine advisors to install anti-vaccine allies, and overhauling the childhood vaccine schedule to match Denmark's, reducing recommended shots from 17 to 11.

The plaintiffs seek a preliminary injunction to halt these policy changes and bar the new advisory panel from meeting, with its next session scheduled for mid-March.

Main topics: Legal arguments on executive authority, a lawsuit against the Health Secretary's vaccine policy changes, and specific controversial actions taken by the Secretary.

Original URL

https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/rfk-jr-can-promote-getting-measles-with-impunity-doj-lawyer-tells-judge/

Source Feed

Ars Technica

Published Date

2026-03-05 21:29

Fetched Date

2026-03-05 18:30

Processed Date

2026-03-05 18:31

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Present

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Raw Extracted Content

A lawyer for the Trump administration told a federal judge Wednesday that anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has such ample authority over the country’s vaccine policies that he is “unreviewable.” His unfettered powers even allow Kennedy the freedom to recommend, if he chose to do so, that people ditch vaccines and actively expose themselves to infectious diseases, the lawyer argued, according to Reuters.
The comments came amid a lawsuit filed against Kennedy by the American Academy of Pediatrics, several other medical groups, and three anonymous women. The suit challenges a number of Kennedy’s actions on vaccine policy since he took office, including his unilateral changes to COVID-19 vaccine policies, his firing of all 17 expert vaccine advisors for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—whom Kennedy replaced with hand-picked anti-vaccine allies—and his decision to dramatically overhaul the CDC’s childhood vaccine schedule to match that of the small country of Denmark, dropping the total number of recommended vaccinations from 17 to 11 and making the US an outlier among high-income countries.
The groups are seeking a preliminary injunction to block the vaccine policy changes and bar the new advisors from meeting. Their next meeting is scheduled for March 18–19.