Nicholas John Roske, a 29-year-old from Simi Valley, California, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for attempting to kill a United States Supreme Court Justice. The Department of Justice had sought a sentence of at least 30 years to life.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi commented on the case, stating: “The attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a disgusting attack against our entire judicial system by a profoundly disturbed individual. The Department of Justice will be appealing the woefully insufficient sentence imposed by the district court, which does not reflect the horrific facts of this case.”
FBI Director Kash Patel added: “Nicholas Roske will now pay the price for attempting to assassinate a Supreme Court Justice in a violent plot to alter the court’s composition and its rulings. Violence against federal judges or other public officials is unacceptable and will be met by the full force of the law. The FBI will work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to detect and stop these schemes and protect our nation.”
U.S. Attorney Kelly O’Hayes for the District of Maryland said: “Politically motivated violence has no place in our society. The attempt to assassinate a Supreme Court Justice is an extreme, unconscionable act that must be met with the full weight of the law. We, along with our federal partners, are committed to relentlessly pursuing, prosecuting, and punishing anyone involved in planning and executing these brazen, violent crimes. Violence against others will not be tolerated.”
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated: “Mr. Roske flew across the country armed with a gun and zip ties, prepared to kill at least one and perhaps three sitting Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States because of how he imagined they would rule. No public servant, let alone a Justice, should have to consider his safety or that of his family’s in discharging his duty. Even in failure, Mr. Roske’s plot violated that basic tenet and threatened judicial independence, a critical component of the rule of law.”
Roske pleaded guilty as part of an agreement admitting that on June 7, 2022, he traveled from Los Angeles International Airport to Dulles International Airport carrying a firearm and ammunition in checked luggage before taking a taxi to Montgomery County, Maryland with intent to kill a Supreme Court Justice.
In the early morning hours on June 8, two Deputy U.S. Marshals observed Roske arrive at the residence while wearing dark clothing and carrying both backpack and suitcase. After being arrested later that morning and Mirandized by police detectives, Roske explained: “I noticed immediately that there were people sitting outside and this was a very like empty neighborhood, so I was like, okay, they’re keeping a lookout. So then I went around the house on the other side[.]”
Roske subsequently called emergency services stating he had homicidal and suicidal thoughts; he admitted possessing firearms in his suitcase after traveling from California intending harm toward an identified Supreme Court Justice.
Montgomery County Police officers took him into custody at the scene where they found weapons including tactical gear such as black chest rigging; knives; loaded magazines; additional ammunition; pepper spray; zip ties; burglary tools such as hammer/crowbar/screwdrivers/nail punch/lock-pick tools; duct tape; padded hiking boots; pistol light—and other items.
During interviews following his arrest after being read his rights (Mirandized), Roske said he was upset about both recent leaked draft decisions from the Supreme Court regarding abortion as well as recent school shootings in Uvalde Texas—stating explicitly that he came from California intending use lethal force against one or more Justices using those tools if circumstances allowed.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including FBI offices (both local and Los Angeles Field Office), U.S. Marshals Service, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), as well as Supreme Court Police Department.
Prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Sullivan and Coreen Mao for Maryland District alongside Trial Attorney John Cella from National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
