California man charged in Justice Kavanaugh assassination attempt pleads guilty
A California man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempting to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his Maryland home in 2022, the Justice Department announced.
As part of the guilty plea, Nicholas John Roske, 29, of Simi Valley, California, admitted that he flew from Los Angeles to Dulles International Airport on June 7, 2022, with a firearm and ammunition in his checked baggage, according to the Justice Department news release. Roske, the release added, then took a taxi from the airport to Montgomery County, Maryland, with the intent to kill Kavanaugh, a member of the court’s conservative majority.
According to a criminal complaint, two Deputy U.S. Marshals who protected Kavanaugh's Maryland home observed Roske arriving at the front of the residence on June 8, 2022, at about 1:05 a.m. Once they observed Roske, the Marshals exited their vehicles as Roske walked down the street.
Shortly after, the complain adds, Roske told a Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center call taker that "he was having homicidal and suicidal thoughts, had a gun in his suitcase, and flew from California to kill a specific Supreme Court Justice." Officers with the Montgomery County Police Department later responded to the location and arrested Roske.
Roske faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman scheduled sentencing for Oct. 3.
Authorities said at the time that Roske was dismayed at expected Supreme Court opinions ending the national right to abortion and rolling back gun regulations. Authorities later recovered a Glock pistol, a tactical knife, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, and a crow bar from a pack he was carrying.
"This calculated attempt on the life of a sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justice was a heinous attack on the Court itself," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a statement. "Anyone who thinks they can use violence or intimidation to influence our courts will be met with the full force of the law and face up to life in prison."
FBI Director Kash Patel echoed Bondi's sentiments in the Tuesday statement, saying Roske's plans were "despicable."
"No violent attacks can be tolerated, whether those targeted are public officials or private citizens - and the FBI and our partners will aggressively investigate and bring to justice all those who engage in such plots," Patel said.
The incident happened about a month after a leaked draft opinion indicated the court was poised to overturn its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The court issued its final ruling weeks after Roske’s arrest.
Kavanaugh, a conservative jurist appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term, has served on the court since 2018.
Contributing: Kevin Johnson, Josh Meyer, and John Fritze, Paste BN; Reuters