Armed man arrested near Kavanaugh's home charged with attempted murder
An armed man was arrested and then later charged with attempted murder on Wednesday after showing up outside Brett Kavanaugh's home and making threats against the Supreme Court justice, The Wall Street Journal reports, per authorities.
The 26-year-old man, identified as Nicholas John Roske, was allegedly carrying a gun, a knife, pepper spray, zip ties, and a variety of household tools when he was arrested, the Justice Department said.
Agents first noticed Roske outside Kavanaugh's house at 1:05 a.m. on Wednesday, before the man then walked away and called the Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center. Roske told the individual on the phone he was having suicidal thoughts and planned to kill Kavanaugh with the gun he had in his suitcase, the Journal reports. He was arrested while still on the call.
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Once at the police station, Roske allegedly told detectives he was angry about the leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court will soon overturn Roe v. Wade, as well as the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas, per the Journal.
The government recently beefed up security at justices' homes given the public backlash to the leak and the incoming ruling. Last month, the Senate passed a bill expanding police protections for justices and their immediate families.
The court is expected to hand down its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization — the case at the center of the draft opinion — by the end of June or early July.
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Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
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