Man who sought to kill Brett Kavanaugh finally slated for trial

The Department of Justice is seeking to move ahead with a trial for the man accused of plotting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during the summer of 2022.

Federal prosecutors said Friday that they have not reached a pretrial agreement with Nicholas John Roske’s public defenders, according to court records. Roske was arrested near a Supreme Court justice’s Maryland home in June 2022 and charged with attempted assassination.

The government on Friday requested the court set dates for motions and a trial, marking the first significant development in the case in over a year. Defense attorneys have been investigating the charges and exploring potential mitigating factors for Roske, who remains in custody.

Roske, who was 26 when he was arrested after calling 911 on himself two summers ago, expressed suicidal thoughts and admitted he had a firearm on him. According to federal affidavits, he traveled from California intending to kill a specific Supreme Court justice, though he also posted online that he was “shooting for 3” high court members. At the time of his arrest, Roske had zip ties, a pistol, ammunition, pepper spray, tactical gear, and a hammer in his possession.

In interviews with law enforcement, Roske suggested his motivation stemmed from his anger over the May 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting and the leaked Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Roske had also allegedly discussed his plans online, mentioning his intention to try and stop Roe v. Wade from being overturned by targeting multiple justices. In one online conversation, he indicated he aimed to remove justices from the court to change future decisions on matters such as abortion and gun control, saying he hoped to affect the court’s balance for decades.

The defendant at one point told an online associate if he could kill “at least one” justice, it “would change the votes for decades to come.”

In the weeks before his arrest, Roske’s search history included inquiries about assassination methods, stealth tactics, and the assassination attempt on former President Ronald Reagan, underscoring his premeditation.

A federal grand jury in Maryland later indicted Roske on a charge of attempted murder of Kavanaugh, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, who nine days ago became the first former president to face an assassination attempt since Reagan.

The attempt against Kavanaugh was the most recent imminent threat against one of the nine justices until just recently when an armed carjacker was shot by a U.S. marshal outside the Washington, D.C., home of Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Law enforcement have said the suspect who was shot outside of Sotomayor’s home was not targeting the justice.