California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes have filed a multistate lawsuit challenging recent changes to the federal childhood immunization schedule by the Trump Administration. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, contests a January 5, 2026 decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that removed seven vaccines from their universally recommended status for children. These vaccines include those protecting against rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The legal action also challenges Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s replacement of all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel that has shaped U.S. vaccine policy for decades. According to the complaint, these changes could increase illness rates and strain state resources.
Attorney General Rob Bonta stated: “The Trump Administration’s attacks on science are irresponsible and dangerous. Undermining confidence in vaccines will lead to lower vaccination rates and more infectious disease. It will also drive-up costs for states, including increased Medicaid spending and new expenses to combat misinformation and revise public health guidance. Public health decisions must remain grounded in truth and facts. That’s why, for the 59th time, I’m taking the Trump Administration to court. My fellow attorneys general and I cannot sit on the sidelines while lives are put at risk and our laws are broken.”
Governor Gavin Newsom added: “California is going back to court because the Trump Administration is violating federal law and pushing a reckless, unscientific childhood vaccine schedule that puts kids’ lives at risk. These changes ignore decades of medical evidence and will lead to outbreaks of diseases we’ve already beaten. We will not stand by while politics overrides science and endangers our children. Just as we’ve done before, we’re standing up — alongside 14 other states — to defend the law, protect public health, and keep our kids safe.”
Routine childhood vaccinations between 1994 and 2023 have been estimated by researchers to prevent over half a billion cases of illness among children in the United States as well as more than one million deaths.
Secretary Kennedy has previously expressed opposition to vaccines publicly but had promised during his confirmation process not to alter ACIP membership. However, he dismissed all 17 members in June 2025 without following required procedures such as issuing a Federal Register notice or ensuring a balanced panel under federal law.
The newly appointed ACIP members reportedly lack necessary scientific qualifications; nine out of thirteen current members do not meet professional requirements according to the lawsuit. On December 5, 2025 this reconstituted panel voted to reverse nearly three decades of CDC policy recommending universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth.
The CDC’s subsequent “Decision Memo” demoted seven vaccines from universal recommendation status without citing new scientific evidence or recommendations from a properly constituted ACIP panel.
In response to these federal actions Governor Newsom announced creation of the West Coast Health Alliance which aims to provide collective public health recommendations for western states.
Joining California and Arizona in this lawsuit are attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island Wisconsin as well as Pennsylvania’s governor.
Rob Bonta leads the California Attorney General’s office, which serves as California’s chief law enforcement authority with statewide jurisdiction across areas such as civil rights protection, consumer security, environmental justice initiatives,and transparency through tools like OpenJustice. The office is an integral part of California’s executive branch under state constitutional authority.
