Transgender Woman Sentenced 8 Years for Attempting to Kill Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh

Nicholas Roske, who now identifies as Sophie Roske and uses female pronouns, was sentenced to approximately eight years in federal prison and lifetime supervised release for attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022. Roske traveled from California to Kavanaugh's Maryland home armed with weapons and intended to kill him, inspired by leaked Supreme Court plans to overturn Roe v. Wade and roll back gun regulations. Although prosecutors sought a sentence of at least 30 years to life, Judge Deborah Boardman, a Biden appointee, sentenced Roske to 97 months, citing Roske's remorse, lack of criminal history, and decision to abandon the plot before police intervention. Roske called 911 to report the plan and expressed suicidal and homicidal thoughts, leading to her arrest before any harm occurred. The Department of Justice criticized the leniency of the sentence and plans to appeal, emphasizing the threat Roske posed to the judicial system and the need to deter such acts of domestic terrorism. Roske apologized to Kavanaugh and his family, acknowledging the distress caused and stating the mistake will follow her for life.