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2h ago

DOJ to Appeal 8-Year Sentence for Kavanaugh’s Would-Be Assassin

The judge credited Sophie Roske for calling 911 to abandon the plot.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh listens to remarks at U.S. Vice President JD Vance's residence during a visit by Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin, ahead of St. Patrick's Day, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 12, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Justice Brett Kavanaugh holds his personal pocket constitution as he speaks at The Ken Starr Lecture at McLennan Community College, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
FILE - Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh is seen at the Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 3, 2018. Nicholas John Roske, the California man accused of plotting to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, had a more expansive goal to change the makeup of the Supreme Court in discussions he had in online chat rooms, according to a recent federal court filing. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)
FILE - Members of the Supreme Court sit for a new group portrait following the addition of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman sentenced Roske to 97 months in federal prison and imposed lifetime supervised release following an April guilty plea.
  • Federal prosecutors had urged at least 30 years, arguing the planned attack was ideologically driven and that a severe term was needed to deter threats against judges.
  • Roske flew from California to Maryland in June 2022 with a Glock 17, ammunition, zip ties and other tools, then called police after seeing U.S. marshals outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home.
  • According to court filings, Roske said she was motivated by the leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade and referenced other justices in online messages.
  • Boardman cited remorse, cooperation, lack of criminal history and the voluntary abandonment of the plot, while Attorney General Pam Bondi labeled the sentence "woefully insufficient."