The man charged with attempting to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision leak identifies as transgender, his attorneys revealed in court documents filed Friday.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recommended a 30-year sentence for Nicholas Roske, who was arrested with burglary tools and a gun outside Kavanaugh’s Maryland home in June 2022 after telling officers he intended to kill the Supreme Court justice.
Defense attorneys referred to Nicholas John Roske, who in April indicated he would plead guilty, by the name “Sophie Roske” in a filing on Friday.
“The case is captioned as United States v. Nicholas John Roske,” the defense attorneys wrote in a filing Friday. “That name remains Ms. Roske’s legal name, and she has not asked to recaption the case. Out of respect for Ms. Roske, the balance of this pleading and counsel’s in-court argument will refer to her as Sophie and use female pronouns.”
As recently as this year, Kavanaugh received a letter stating he must “die” that referenced Roske’s name, which shows his actions “will continue to have consequences for the Court and its members for years to come,” the government argued in its sentencing memo.
“This Court’s sentence must send the unequivocal, clear, and strong message that attempted violence and threats of violence against members of the judiciary — as well as other public and federal officials — cannot and will not be tolerated, and will be justly and severely condemned,” the memo states. “The Court’s sentence must also be significant to reflect the harm sought to be inflicted on the judiciary, and to send the message that the consequences for these acts — no fewer than 30 years to life in prison — are not worth the perceived ideological ends.”
Court records reveal Roske used the name “Sophie” online as early as 2022.
“Yeah I mean my mental health is too poor for me to fear death,” Roske wrote under the username “Sophie42#6535” on Discord in March 2022, according to a filing. “But prison sounds worse. To be monitored to the point where you can’t even kill yourself. So if I did kill someone I would definitely try to get away with it.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement Friday that Roske’s attempt “was an attack on the entire judicial system that cannot go unpunished.”
“This Department of Justice condemns political violence and our prosecutors will ensure that this disturbed individual faces severe consequences for his deranged actions,” Bondi said.
Roske’s sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 3.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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