The Department of Justice has announced its intention to proceed with a trial for Nicholas John Roske, who is accused of plotting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in June 2022. According to court records, federal prosecutors have not reached a pretrial agreement with Roske’s public defenders and have instead requested the court set dates for motions and a trial.
Roske, 26 at the time of his arrest, was found with a firearm, zip ties, and other tactical gear near a Supreme Court justice’s home in Maryland. He had expressed suicidal thoughts and had traveled from California with the intention of killing a specific Supreme Court justice. In online posts, Roske mentioned his goal of targeting multiple justices, stating that he hoped to remove them from the court to change future decisions on matters such as abortion and gun control.
During interviews with law enforcement, Roske attributed his motivation to his anger over the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting and the leaked Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. He had also discussed his plans online, mentioning his intention to try and stop Roe v. Wade from being overturned by targeting multiple justices.
Roske’s search history, which included inquiries about assassination methods and stealth tactics, suggests premeditation. A federal grand jury in Maryland indicted Roske on a charge of attempted murder of Kavanaugh, who became the first former president to face an assassination attempt since Ronald Reagan.
The attempt against Kavanaugh was the most recent imminent threat against one of the nine justices, followed by an armed carjacker who was shot by a U.S. marshal outside the Washington, D.C., home of Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
