Vaccine court: Where claims about rare injury after vaccination are heard

This is an updated version of a story first published on Oct. 5, 2025. The original video can be viewed here.

If you've never before heard of the national vaccine court, you're hardly alone. As we first reported in October, it sits inconspicuously, a few hundred yards from the White House; and stands as a model of effective public policy, balancing the societal good of widespread vaccination with rare individual harm. Founded in the 1980s, the court has, with little fanfare, paid out billions of dollars to Americans who have claimed injury after getting a vaccine. Today, with vaccine skepticism rising and given voice in the highest ranks of government, we wondered: can this singular court block out the noise, withstand the political winds, and stay true to its mission?

Jacob Thompson is 13 years old. He loves airplanes, swimming and Chick-fil-A. But Jacob can speak only a handful of words and needs help walking more than a few yards.

Jacob was born in St. Louis on New Year's Eve, 2011, rounding out a family of four, with sister Meili and parents John and Huali — he, a pilot for FedEx; she, a recent immigrant from China.

John Thompson: We had this perfectly normal, happy little baby. He would be able to jump up and down on my wife's lap, and very alert, recognized who mom and dad was.

At his six-month checkup, Jacob received a combination shot that included the recommended childhood vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, or DTaP, all deemed safe and effective in clinical trials.

Hours later, Jacob began to seize. Doctors hoped it was a one-time reaction. It wasn't.

John Thompson: Within I'd say six months or less, he didn't know that we were mom and dad anymore, and he was slithering on the floor like a snake.

By age two, Jacob could suffer up to 700 seizures in one day. He was diagnosed with a rare and severe form of epilepsy.

The Thompsons became increasingly convinced that his condition could be traced back to his six-month vaccinations. And, they began to seek accountability. They took their case to attorney Renée Gentry.

She's a leading vaccine injury litigator and director of the Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic at George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C.

Renée Gentry: I represent both vaccine-injured children and adults. All of my clients are vaccinated. Most of them will start the conversation by saying, "I'm not anti-vax."

Jon Wertheim: Why do you think they need to tell you right off the bat they're not anti-vax, but?

Renée Gentry: There's a lot of public pressure when you say that you have a vacc