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Prosecutors Seek 30 Years to Life for Kavanaugh Plotter as Defense Discloses Transgender Identity

The government says a harsh term is needed to deter violence against judges.

Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett arrive for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.
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United States Department of Justice logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo
Justice Brett Kavanaugh speaks at a panel at the Eighth Circuit Court Judicial Conference

Overview

  • In a sentencing memo filed Friday, federal prosecutors urged a 30‑years‑to‑life sentence for Nicholas John Roske, calling the 2022 plan to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh a deliberate, ideologically driven attack on the judiciary.
  • Defense counsel informed the court the defendant now goes by Sophie Roske and uses female pronouns, and a separate filing asks for no more than 96 months, citing her 911 call and cooperation.
  • Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 3 before U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman, and Roske has been held since the June 2022 arrest.
  • Court records say Roske flew from California, arrived near Kavanaugh’s Maryland home with a pistol, ammunition, zip ties and tools, then abandoned the plan after contacting 911 and seeing law enforcement.
  • Prosecutors cite motives tied to the leaked Dobbs draft and the Uvalde shooting and say Discord messages indicated other justices as potential targets, with the conduct described as terrorism warranting strong deterrence.