A California man armed with a handgun who planned to kill US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has been charged with attempted murder.
Key points:
- The 26-year-old said he wanted to “give his life a purpose”
- He showed up at Brett Kavanaugh’s house carrying a handgun, a tactical knife and pepper spray
- Attempting to murder a US judge can carry a maximum sentence of 20 years
The 26-year-old was arrested near Justice Kavanaugh’s home in the state of Maryland, voicing dismay about expected rulings curtailing abortion access and expanding gun rights, authorities said.
The man, identified as Nicholas Roske from Los Angeles, was carrying a handgun he had purchased to kill Justice Kavanaugh, as well as ammunition, a tactical knife, pepper spray and other items, according to an FBI agent.
Justice Kavanaugh’s home has been the site of some protests by abortion-rights advocates since the May 2 publication of a leaked draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court was poised to overturn its landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision that legalised abortion nationwide.
Mr Roske told authorities he was upset about the draft opinion as well as about last month’s mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas.
In an affidavit, he described himself as concerned that Justice Kavanaugh would vote against gun regulations in a major firearms rights case also due to be decided in the coming weeks.
He said he came up with the plan after “thinking about how to give his life a purpose”.
A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Maryland said Mr Roske faced a charge of attempting to kidnap or murder a US judge, an offence carrying a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, according to prosecutors.
Mr Roske made an initial court appearance on Wednesday afternoon and agreed to continued detention, with another hearing set for June 22.
“Threats of violence and actual violence against the justices, of course, strike at the heart of our democracy,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters when asked about the arrest.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said US President Joe Biden “condemns the actions of this individual in the strongest terms” and supported pending legislation in Congress that would improve security for the justices.
“Any threats of violence or attempts to intimidate justices have no place in our society,” she added.
The affidavit said Mr Roske himself called police after he saw US marshals outside Justice Kavanaugh’s house. He told the dispatcher he was suicidal and intended to kill the judge.
Montgomery County police took him into custody without incident.
Justice Kavanaugh, a conservative jurist appointed by former president Donald Trump, has served on the court since 2018.
The US Justice Department said on May 11 that it was increasing security for Supreme Court justices following the leaked draft opinion.
Abortion-rights supporters have held demonstrations in Washington and other cities since the draft was leaked, incensed that a right recognised for half a century appeared poised to be erased by the court’s increasingly assertive conservative justices.
The court building is now surrounded by high black fencing. A protester on Monday chained himself by the neck to that perimeter fence.
The draft opinion, authored by conservative Justice Samuel Alito and published by the Politico news outlet, would uphold a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and overturn the Roe decision that recognised a woman’s constitutional right to obtain an abortion.
Reuters/ABC