Californian Resident Received Over 8 Years in Jail for Plotting Against Justice Kavanaugh
A resident from California, who had plans to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, has been given an over eight-year prison sentence. This verdict was passed by a federal judge and it was far more lenient than the one suggested by the Justice Department.
The individual in question, Sophie Roske, is a transgender woman from Simi Valley who was prosecuted under her legal name, Nicholas Roske. She was staring down a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. She was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison by U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman, and will also face a lifetime of court supervision. The prosecutors had pushed for a prison sentence of not less than 30 years, which was the lower limit of the range suggested by sentencing guidelines.
Details of the Crime
When Roske, 26 at the time, was dropped off by a taxi in front of Kavanaugh’s home in Chevy Chase, Md., she was carrying a pistol, a knife, zip ties, and burglary tools. She noticed two U.S. Marshal Service deputies were standing guard outside the residence and decided to continue walking down the street. She received a call from her sister and then dialed 911 herself, expressing that she was having suicidal and homicidal thoughts and needed psychiatric assistance.
Not until she made the 911 call did the law enforcement learn about Roske’s plans. Judge Boardman described Roske’s intentions as “reprehensible” but gave her credit for abandoning her plan before the police could detect her presence near Kavanaugh’s house.
"This is an atypical defendant in an atypical case," was how the judge described the situation.
Reaction from the Justice Department
Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi expressed her dissatisfaction with the sentence, which she felt was insufficient considering the facts of the case. She stated that the Justice Department would appeal against the decision. She described the attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh as a disgusting act against the entire judicial system perpetrated by a deeply disturbed individual.
Roske apologized to Kavanaugh and his family for the stress she caused them. She stated that she had been portrayed as a monster and would carry the burden of her tragic mistake for the rest of her life.
While acknowledging Roske's regret, Judge Boardman noted that her plot caused “real harm” to Kavanaugh and his family. The judge emphasized that while Kavanaugh is a Supreme Court Justice, he's also a human being.
Reasons Behind Roske's Actions
Roske confessed to investigators that she was angered by a leaked draft opinion suggesting that the Supreme Court was planning to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the landmark abortion case. She was also upset about a school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, and believed that Kavanaugh would vote to ease gun laws.
Roske’s case highlights the increasing threat of political violence in a politically divided nation. The number of threats and “inappropriate communications” directed at federal judges and other court employees has risen drastically over a seven-year period, with the count increasing from 926 incidents in 2015 to 4,511 in 2021.
Roske's Guilt and Sentencing
Roske pleaded guilty to an attempted assassination charge without reaching a plea agreement. The prosecution recommended a prison term of not less than 30 years followed by a lifetime of supervised release. They described the defendant's objective, to target and kill judges to alter a court's ruling, as an abhorrent form of terrorism that strikes at the core of the United States Constitution and our prescribed system of government.
Her lawyers asked for a prison sentence of eight years. They claimed she is remorseful and ashamed for frightening Kavanaugh and his family. In a letter submitted to the court, Roske expressed regret and took responsibility for contributing to the trend of political violence in American politics. She also mentioned her struggles with mental illness and her gender identity.
Despite her lawyers' arguments, the prosecutors maintained that Roske’s mental illness was not an excuse for her actions. They argued that the sentence should send a strong message condemning any form of self-justice.
Roske's parents also extended their apologies to Kavanaugh during the sentencing hearing. Her father expressed regret over not communicating better with his daughter about her personal struggles.