Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign rally at the Legends Event Center on December 20, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Rebeca Noble | fake images
On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected two Covid-related appeals brought by Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group founded by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The judges' decision not to hear the cases leaves lower court rulings against the group in place.
One case challenged the Food and Drug Administration's emergency authorization of Covid-19 vaccines in December 2020, while the other was filed against Rutgers University in New Jersey over its Covid vaccination mandate. 19.
In the FDA case, the group claimed in court papers that Covid vaccines were “ineffective and lacked adequate vetting.” The New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit concluded that Kennedy's group lacked legal standing to sue.
In the Rutgers dispute, the Philadelphia-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit concluded that the plaintiffs “have not presented any plausible claim for relief.”
Kennedy himself said goodbye to the group he founded in April 2023 to run for president. He failed to advance in the Democratic primary and is now running as an independent.
During the election campaign, he has downplayed his anti-vaccine activity, but in November he spoke at a Children's Health Defense conference.
Kennedy is listed as an attorney in Rutgers' Supreme Court filing despite his leave of absence from the group.
In a separate case involving vaccines, the court also rejected a challenge to Connecticut's decision to repeal a religious exemption for school vaccines.
