In a significant win for public health advocates, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s effort to slash vaccine recommendations for children across the United States. The ruling, issued Monday, also halted the controversial restructuring of a key vaccine advisory committee that had alarmed medical professionals nationwide.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, had announced plans in January to eliminate broad vaccine recommendations for conditions including flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, meningitis, and RSV. The judge determined that Kennedy likely violated federal law when overhauling the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the body responsible for advising doctors and public health officials on which vaccines to recommend.

Kennedy had fired the entire 17-member ACIP panel and replaced it with members who share anti-vaccine views. Judge Brian E. Murphy, appointed by President Joe Biden, ruled that these appointments and any decisions made by the reformed committee must be paused. A Yale vaccine policy expert called halting an ACIP meeting for legal reasons “unprecedented” in the committee’s 62-year history.

The lawsuit was originally filed last July by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups after Kennedy stopped recommending COVID-19 vaccines for most children and pregnant women. As Kennedy implemented additional changes, the plaintiffs expanded their case to challenge the broader vaccine rollback.

While this ruling is temporary and the Trump administration has already signaled plans to appeal, it provides immediate clarity during a confusing period. When the administration announced the schedule changes, it claimed families wouldn’t lose access to vaccines and insurers would still cover them. However, the reality proved messier, doctors’ groups, public health organizations, and 30 states have rejected at least some of the new recommendations, leaving many Americans unsure what to do.

“If anyone has any questions about what’s the appropriate vaccine schedule for their children, the best thing to do is to talk to their pediatricians”, said Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The judge’s order represents what medical leaders are calling “a momentous step toward restoring science-based vaccine policy”. Yet the battle isn’t over. Kennedy’s supporters, including anti-vaccine activist Dr. Robert Malone, have already encouraged the administration to keep fighting the ruling.

What happens next depends on whether the case goes to trial or summary judgment, but for now, the nation’s vaccine recommendations remain status quo. For families looking for guidance, experts recommend consulting with pediatricians rather than trying to navigate the conflicting guidance coming from different government agencies.