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3h ago

Kavanaugh Plotter Gets 8-Year Sentence as DOJ Vows Appeal

The judge imposed a far shorter term after crediting a voluntary 911 call, remorse, lack of criminal history and transgender custody risks.

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
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)
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 - 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 Sophie (Nicholas) Roske to 97 months in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for attempting to murder Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
  • Prosecutors sought at least 30 years under terrorism-related arguments, and Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department will appeal the sentence as too lenient.
  • Boardman called the conduct reprehensible but cited Roske’s self-report to 911, abandonment of the plot, cooperation, and lack of prior record, saying she is unlikely to reoffend.
  • The judge also noted custodial concerns stemming from a Trump executive order that places transgender women in male facilities, which she treated as a mitigating factor.
  • Roske traveled from California to Kavanaugh’s home in 2022 with a gun and tools after researching justices and expressing anger over the leaked Dobbs draft, as officials report growing threats to the judiciary.