1997

To correct a military omission, seven African-American soldiers are awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in World War II.

The House of Representatives reprimands the Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, and fines him $300,000 for official misconduct.

Madeleine Albright becomes the first female U. S. secretary of state.

NASA’s Pathfinder mission successfully lands a mechanical probe on Mars.

President Clinton apologizes on behalf of the United States for the Tuskegee Experiment, which took place between 1932 and 1972. The study denied medical attention to 412 African-American men suffering from syphilis while pretending to treat them.

In Romer, Governor of Colorado, et al. v. Evans et al., the U. S. Supreme Court invalidates a Colorado law that excludes homosexuals from civil rights protections.

Timothy McVeigh is found guilty for his role in bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is sentenced to death.

Five U. S. cigarette producers agree to compensate state governments for the billions of dollars spent on health care for tobacco-related illnesses.

In Kansas v. Hendricks, the U. S. Supreme Court validates the authority of the states to confine violent sex offenders to mental institutions after they have completed prison terms for their crimes.

In Reno v. ACLU, the U. S. Supreme Court finds that the Communications Decency Act of 1996 violates the constitutional guarantee of free speech.

In a set of related cases, the U. S. Supreme Court upholds state laws prohibiting euthanasia.

In Printz v. United States the U. S. Supreme Court rules that the Brady gun control law’s background check requirement is an unconstitutional intrusion on states’ rights.

At the Kyoto Summit, 160 leading industrial nations, including the United States, agree to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, which promote global warming.