Washington — The California man who pleaded responsible to making an attempt to assassinate Supreme Court docket Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 aimed to kill three members of the excessive courtroom in an effort to “single-handedly alter the constitutional order for ideological ends,” in response to federal prosecutors.
The revelation by the Justice Division got here in a sentencing memorandum filed Friday with the U.S. district courtroom in Maryland within the case of Nicholas Roske. Roske was arrested close to Kavanaugh’s dwelling in early June 2022 with a handgun, ammunition, knife and a myriad of instruments.
He pleaded responsible in April to making an attempt to kill or kidnap a Supreme Court docket justice. Prosecutors are asking a decide to condemn Roske to not less than 30 years to life in jail, arguing that his conduct is an affront to the Structure and required “intensive premeditation.”
“The defendant researched; deliberate; procured the instruments for the deliberate killings; traveled throughout the whole lot of the nation with these instruments, together with a gun; and tried to delete on-line proof of motive and intent,” they wrote. “The defendant’s goal — to focus on and kill judges to hunt to change a courtroom’s ruling — is an abhorrent type of terrorism and strikes on the core of america Structure and our prescribed system of presidency.”
Prosecutors wrote that Roske’s offenses are “bone-chilling,” and that he tried to commit “pre-planned, cold-blooded homicide” in opposition to Kavanaugh based mostly on the end result of a case.
“No judicial or courtroom official, or their household, ought to should reside underneath the concern and psychological toll that they may, on any day, at any time of day or evening, be gunned down based mostly on a judicial choice,” they stated within the submitting.
Win McNamee / Getty Photos
The doc lists numerous messages that prosecutors say Roske posted to the social media platform Discord all through Could 2022, which embrace references to the Supreme Court docket’s 1973 choice within the landmark case Roe v. Wade. His messages had been posted within the weeks after a leaked draft opinion from the excessive courtroom indicated it was poised to overturn the choice, which established the constitutional proper to abortion. The Supreme Court docket would strike down Roe in June 2022.
“What do you assume would occur if [Kavanaugh] died?” Roske wrote on Could 18, 2022, in response to the sentencing memo. He additionally despatched a message that day stating, “Additionally the appropriate have a 5-4 majority so if one conservative justice dies then it turns into a 5-4 for the left,” prosecutors stated.
Days later, on Could 27, Roske wrote “im gonna cease roe v wade from being overturned” and, in response to the query “what u tryna do,” he stated, “take away some folks from the supreme courtroom,” in response to the messages cited by prosecutors.
“Yeah however i might get not less than one, which might change the votes for many years to come back. and I’m capturing for 3,” Roske wrote, in response to the courtroom submitting.
Roske additionally performed Google searches for “how a lot pressure do it’s essential to stab somebody’s neck,” “simplest approach to silently kill somebody” and “methods to break a lock,” in response to the memorandum.
Prosecutors stated {that a} map saved in Roske’s Google account contained pins that marked what he believed had been the houses of 4 sitting Supreme Court docket justices. The Supreme Court docket has a 6-3 conservative majority.
Roske performed web searches associated to fight and physique armor, weapons, capturing from lengthy ranges and breaking into houses all through Could 2022, in response to Justice Division legal professionals. He additionally researched the Supreme Court docket and “focused sure justices,” they wrote within the sentencing memo.
Roske appeared into Kavanaugh “extensively,” together with his title and residential handle, and researched three different members of the Supreme Court docket and their dwelling addresses, the memo stated. The opposite justices are recognized solely as “Justice 2,” “Justice 3” and “Justice 4” in courtroom papers.
Earlier than leaving for Maryland, Roske looked for “home windows methods to wipe down a drive,” and sought to delete his Discord account, prosecutors stated.
His analysis additionally included what could occur after he carried out a criminal offense, together with methods to evade prosecution by fleeing to international locations with out extradition agreements with the U.S. and attainable defenses, in response to prosecutors’ sentencing memorandum.
Justice Division 
Roske flew from California, the place he lived, to the Washington, D.C., space on June 8, 2022, and took a taxi to Kavanaugh’s home in Maryland. He arrived round 1 a.m. with a suitcase filled with a Glock 17 pistol; two loaded magazines and extra ammunition; a chest rig, which is a harness used to hold gear; a knife; lock picks; a hammer; screwdriver; nail punch; crowbar; duct tape; mountain climbing boots with padding connected to the underside of the soles; and pepper spray, in response to prosecutors.
Prosecutors stated the fabric affixed to the underside of Roske’s sneakers was designed to quiet his footsteps.
A deputy U.S. Marshal guarding Kavanaugh’s residence noticed Roske pull up within the automotive and went to get out of her automobile when he arrived, in response to the memorandum. After he realized regulation enforcement was exterior the home, Roske stated he determined to stroll previous Kavanaugh’s home, prosecutors stated. Roske then obtained a cellphone name from his sister and referred to as 911 after talking to her for roughly 20 minutes, in response to the memo.
Roske was arrested by native police after he referred to as the authorities, and officers discovered the weapons and instruments in his baggage throughout a search. He later advised detectives that he had performed analysis on Kavanaugh and purchased the gun “with the intention of utilizing it. To kill [the justice] after which myself,” courtroom filings present. He additionally advised police that the Supreme Court docket’s draft opinion reversing Roe made him “upset” and motivated his plan to kill Kavanaugh, in response to prosecutors.
“One other motivating issue was I heard that the present courtroom was interested by loosening gun restrictions,” Roske stated, in response to the submitting.
Prosecutors requested the decide to use a terrorism enhancement when figuring out Roske’s sentence as a result of his conduct was designed “to affect or have an effect on the conduct of presidency by intimidation or coercion, or to retaliate in opposition to authorities conduct.”
“The defendant sought to affect or have an effect on the workings of the Supreme Court docket, each within the consequence of a then-pending choice and, within the defendant’s personal phrases, within the judiciary’s selections for ‘a long time to come back,'” they wrote.
Prosecutors additionally stated that as a result of Roske focused and deliberate to kill as much as three Supreme Court docket justices, he “sought single-handedly and irrevocably to change a whole department of america authorities by violence.”
In addition they wrote that Roske’s actions have sparked different threats, saying that Kavanaugh obtained a letter earlier this yr invoking Roske’s title and referencing a gunshot to the justice’s head.
Particulars concerning the breadth of Roske’s plans come as federal judges nationwide have skilled an increase in threats of violence. Chief Justice John Roberts warned in his year-end report final December about threats to judicial independence, together with violence and intimidation. Justice Amy Coney Barrett advised CBS Information senior correspondent Norah O’Donnell in an interview that she has obtained loss of life threats.
A trio of federal judges publicly detailed threats to their security and harassment they’ve obtained in current months, together with being focused by “pizza doxxing.” CBS Information reported in Could that roughly two dozen judges throughout the nation have obtained unsolicited pizza deliveries within the title of Daniel Anderl, the late son of U.S. District Choose Esther Salas.
Anderl was killed when he answered the door at his household’s New Jersey dwelling in 2020 and was shot by a disgruntled gunman who was concentrating on Salas.
