BOSTON — How far can health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. go in remaking public health policy in his image?
Could he, say, call on Americans to maximize their exposure to measles in a bid to reach herd immunity?
The Department of Justice seems to think so. In defending the health secretary’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule and to the federal vaccine advisory committee in federal court on Wednesday, government lawyers said that Kennedy and other health officials have broad discretion to issue such guidance — and to choose the kinds of evidence to consider and the experts to consult.
