Supreme Court rejects appeals brought by RFK Jr-founded anti-vaccine group over Covid shots

The Supreme Court on Monday turned away two Covid-related appeals brought by Kid’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group founded by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The choice by the justices not to listen to the cases leaves in place lower court rulings against the group.

One case challenged the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency authorization of Covid-19 vaccines in December 2020, while the opposite was brought against Rutgers University in Recent Jersey over its Covid-19 vaccine mandate.

Within the FDA case, the group claimed in court papers that Covid vaccines were “ineffective and lacked proper vetting.” The Recent Orleans-based fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Kennedy’s group didn’t have legal standing to sue.

Within the Rutgers dispute, the Philadelphia-based third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the plaintiffs “haven’t stated any plausible claim for relief.”

Kennedy himself took leave from the group he founded in April 2023 to run for president. He didn’t make inroads within the Democratic primaries and is now running as an independent.

On the campaign trail he has mostly downplayed his anti-vaccine, activity but in November he spoke at a Kid’s Health Defense conference.

Kennedy is listed as a lawyer on the Rutgers filing on the Supreme Court despite his leave of absence from the group.

In a separate vaccine-related case, the court also turned away a challenge to Connecticut’s decision to repeal a non secular exemption for varsity vaccinations.