March 16 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Monday blocked key parts of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s effort to reshape U.S. vaccine policy, including a move to reduce the number of shots routinely recommended for children.
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston sided with medical groups that said health regulators had acted unlawfully to carry out Kennedy’s agenda of upending immunization policies and warned the changes would reduce vaccination rates and harm public health.
Democratic-led states, healthcare providers and advocacy groups have filed lawsuits challenging the changes to federal health policies and funding made under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
The cases targeted actions affecting research grants, vaccine guidance, health insurance rules and funding for reproductive health services.
The current case is an expansion of a lawsuit filed on July 7, 2025, in which several major medical organizations sued Kennedy and the Department of Health and Human Services over the removal of COVID-19 shots from the immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women.
Here are some of the lawsuits challenging the administration’s healthcare policies:
NIH RESEARCH FUNDING CUTS
On February 10, 2025, multiple state attorneys general and medical associations filed separate lawsuits against the Trump administration’s attempt to cut the National Institutes of Health’s federal grants for scientific and medical research. The cuts were deemed unlawful by the court.
Current status: After a court blocked the funding cap in 2025, the NIH said it would re-review grant applications that had been denied under the policy.
NIH GRANT TERMINATIONS
In April 2025, a coalition of states sued the Trump administration over NIH’s termination of research grants it deemed inconsistent with its anti-DEI directive. In June 2025, U.S. District Judge William Young ruled the directive was illegal.
Current status: In December 2025, NIH reached a settlement with 16 states, agreeing to re-review thousands of grant applications that had been withheld or terminated under the policy.
The Trump administration has appealed Judge Young’s broader ruling that the anti-DEI directive was illegal. The Supreme Court in August 2025 separately paused his order that would have immediately restored hundreds of additional terminated grants while that appeal proceeds.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD DEFUNDING
On July 7, 2025, Planned Parenthood sued the Trump administration over a provision in a federal tax and policy bill, which aimed to strip funding from its health centers. The lawsuit claimed the provision was unconstitutional and would prevent the centers from receiving Medicaid reimbursements.
Current status: After an appeals court allowed the Medicaid funding ban to proceed, Planned Parenthood voluntarily dismissed its federal lawsuit in January 2026, but related state-led challenges continue.
ACA HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACES
On July 17, 2025, Democratic attorneys general from 20 states, including New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts, along with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, sued to block an HHS rule that the administration itself estimated could cause up to 1.8 million people to lose their health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. The rule would also increase premiums and out-of-pocket costs, shorten enrollment periods, and exclude gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit.
Current status: The case is still pending. However, another federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in August blocking seven key provisions of the HHS rule in a separate case brought by cities.
TRANSGENDER GRANT CONDITIONS
On January 13, 2026, 12 Democratic state attorneys general sued the Trump administration over new conditions imposed on grants that they argued would force discrimination against transgender Americans. The lawsuit challenged the conditions as unlawful and infringing on Congress’ power over spending.
Current status: The lawsuit is pending.
MULTI-STATE VACCINE POLICY
On February 24, 2026, Democratic attorneys general from 14 states, including California and Arizona, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over changes to the federal childhood vaccine schedule. The changes removed universal recommendations for several vaccines, which medical organizations warned could lower inoculation rates.
Current status: The lawsuit is pending in federal court.
(Reporting by Christy Santhosh,Puyaan Singh and Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo and Shilpi Majumdar)
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