July 2009 Current Events: U.S. News

World News | Business/Science News

Here are the key events in United States news for the month of July 2009.

• Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Announces Resignation (July 3): Sarah Palin, the first-term Republican governor of Alaska and former vice-presidential candidate, announces her resignation. The move shocks politicians from both parties. Palin cites a desire to spend more time with her family and a lack of interest in running for reelection in 2010. She will relinquish control to Lt. Gov, Sean Parnell on July 26.
• Cheney Ordered CIA Secrecy (July 11): The Central Intelligence Agency kept a counterterrorism project secret from the U.S. Congress for eight years, following the orders of former vice president Dick Cheney. C.I.A. director Leon Panetta ended the program when he learned of it June 23.
• Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings Begin for Sotomayor (July 13): Congressional hearings for the confirmation of President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, begin. Support and dissent for her nomination follow party lines. Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice and the third woman to hold that position.
• Senate Votes to Strip $1.75 Billion for Fighter Jets Out of Spending Bill (July 21): In a huge political win for President Obama, the Senate votes 58–40 to strip $1.75 billion from a military authorization bill that would have otherwise funded new F-22 fighter jets. Obama called the earmarked money wasteful spending and vowed to veto the bill if the stipulation was included.
• Three N.J. Mayors, Among Others, Arrested on Corruption Charges (July 23): After a two-year federal investigation, 44 people, including three New Jersey mayors, five rabbis, and two state assemblyman, are arrested on charges of corruption and international money-laundering. The investigation was aided by the cooperation of Solomon Dwek, a N.J. resident and police informant. Dwek was arrested in 2006 on charges of bank fraud.
• Senate Judiciary Committee Endorses Sotomayor (July 28): The Senate Judiciary Committee votes 13–6 to endorse Sonya Sotomayor as the next Supreme Court justice. Only one Republican, South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, votes in favor of her nomination.