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Kavanaugh Plotter Sophie Roske Sentenced to 8 Years After Guilty Plea

The judge said sincere remorse, self-reporting and a clean record justified a term far below prosecutors’ request.

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)
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)
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)

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman sentenced Roske to 97 months in federal prison and ordered lifetime supervised release for the 2022 attempt to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
  • Prosecutors sought at least 30 years to life, calling the plot an effort to influence the Supreme Court and labeling the conduct terroristic; the judge called the crime “reprehensible” but found Roske unlikely to reoffend.
  • Boardman said she considered Roske’s 911 confession and cooperation, lack of prior criminal history, and concerns about prison placement and care for a transgender inmate under President Trump’s executive order.
  • Assistant U.S. Attorney Coreen Mao argued for a tougher sentence to deter threats against judges, noting Roske had scoped multiple justices and that Kavanaugh recently received a death threat invoking Roske’s name.
  • According to filings, Roske traveled from California armed with a handgun and tools, then abandoned the plan after seeing U.S. Marshals and called 911; she apologized in court, citing anger over the Dobbs draft and other grievances as her motive.