COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: The number of daily infections in the U.S. exceeds one million for the first time, with a total of 1.08 million reported cases, driven largely by the Omicron variant.[6]
Cyber Ninjas, the company who conducted an audit of Maricopa County's election, announces that they will shut down after being held in contempt of court.[11]
January 7 – The three defendants convicted in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery are sentenced to life in prison. Travis McMichael and his father Greg are sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, while William Bryan is sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years.[12]
January 9 – Seventeen people are killed and at least 44 others are injured in a fire at an apartment complex in The Bronx, New York City, New York.[13]
January 12 – In New York, a judge rules that one of Jeffrey Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, can proceed with a civil case against Prince Andrew, rejecting his attempt to have the sexual assault claims dismissed.[20][21]
January 13 – COVID-19 vaccination in the United States: The Supreme Court blocks the Biden administration from enforcing its vaccine-or-test requirements for large private companies. However, it allows a vaccine mandate to stand for medical facilities that take Medicare or Medicaid payments.[22]
January 15
Glenn Youngkin is sworn in as governor of Virginia. After being inaugurated, Youngkin signed multiple executive orders, including barring the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.[23] Governor Youngkin also signed executive orders that would create a commission to help fight against antisemitism in the commonwealth and another that would combat human trafficking.[24]
February 3 – The share price of Meta falls by 26.4%, with Facebook losing $230bn in its market value, the biggest one-day loss in history for a US company. This follows an earnings report showing the company's first ever drop in daily user numbers.[33]
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: A study by the CDC finds that surgical masks worn at indoor public venues can reduce the chances of testing positive for COVID-19 by 66%, while tightfitting N95 masks can reduce the odds of infection by 83%.[35][36]
During a speech before the Federalist Society in Orlando, Florida, former Vice President Mike Pence tells the audience: [Former] President "Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone. Frankly there is almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president."[37]
February 7 – Freedom Convoy 2022: Protesters at the Ambassador Bridge, connecting Ontario with Detroit, Michigan, and one of the busiest international border crossings in North America, blockade the border crossing in response to vaccine mandates for truckers re-entering Canada. Four days later, on February 11, the Ontario Superior Court grants an injunction to remove protesters from the bridge.[38]
February 15 – NASA publishes its latest Sea Level Rise Technical Report, an update of the 2017 edition, which includes projections for sea level rise through to the year 2150. The agency warns that sea levels in the U.S. may rise as much over the next 30 years as during the previous 100.[43][44]
President Biden announces new, stronger sanctions that will "impose severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time." He condemns President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, calling him an "aggressor."[56]
The three former officers involved in the murder of George Floyd (J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao) are found guilty by a federal jury for civil rights violations.[57]
President Biden signs an order to provide $600 million of military assistance to Ukraine.[60]
The US and its allies commit to removing Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system, as well as imposing measures on the Russian Central Bank and further restrictions on Russian elites.[61][62]
In new court documents, the Texas State Bar files a lawsuit accusing Sidney Powell of misconduct and calls for disciplinary actions against her including disbarment.[69]
March 9 – A 25-year old woman in North Texas files a lawsuit against Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, accusing him of being her biological father and paying her mother to keep the information secret.[70]
March 10 – The 2022 MLB Lockout comes to an end after 99 days after a new CBA is agreed to, with the season delaying its start to April 7th but still playing all 162 games.
March 11 – A grand jury determines Houston TexansquarterbackDeshaun Watson will not be indicted or face criminal charges for sexual misconduct after 22 women accuse him of various crimes.[71]
Russia announces sanctions on several U.S. officials, banning President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and others from entering the country.[73]
March 18 – A transit bus shooting in Fort Lauderdale kills two people and injures two others.[74]
March 26 – U.S. Rep.Jeff Fortenberry resigns from Congress after a California jury convicts him of lying to authorities about an illegal campaign donation from a foreign national. His resignation will be effective on March 31.[82]
Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters announces that two firefighters are injured, and five firetrucks were damaged during the wildfire that broke out near the Wears Valley community.[91]
Evacuation orders are lifted in Gatlinburg after no structures were damaged during the wildfire. Firefighters also say that the wildfires in the area are under control.[92]
June 13 – The three other officers involved in the murder of George Floyd (J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao) are scheduled to begin their trial.[99]
^"Orrin G. Hatch–Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved October 14, 2018. The federal remedies for unauthorized use of pre-1972 sound recordings shall be available for 95 years after first publication of the recording, ending on December 31 of that year, subject to certain additional periods. These periods provide varying additional protection for pre-1972 sound recordings, based on when the sound recording was first published: For recordings first published before 1923, the additional time period ends on December 31, 2021.
Media related to 2022 in the United States at Wikimedia Commons