Arrest Raises Supreme Court Security Concerns Ahead Of Abortion Decision
The armed man arrested near Brett Kavanaugh's home says he wanted to kill the Supreme Court justice. The incident comes as barricades and other security measures have been added around the court building in anticipation of a controversial ruling that will likely overturn Roe v. Wade.
A man with a gun and a knife was detained by police early Wednesday near the Maryland home of Brett M. Kavanaugh after making threats against the Supreme Court justice, according to local and federal officials. Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, Calif., was charged with attempted murder of a Supreme Court justice after he called authorities and said he was having suicidal thoughts and wanted to kill a specific justice, according to federal prosecutors. (Silverman, Morse, Mettler and Barrett, 6/8)
Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, Calif., was charged with attempted murder after two U.S. deputy marshals saw him step out of a taxicab in front of the justice鈥檚 house in Chevy Chase, Md., early Wednesday morning, federal prosecutors said. Mr. Roske was dressed in black and carrying a suitcase and a backpack, according to a federal affidavit. Inside the suitcase and backpack, the authorities later discovered a 鈥渂lack tactical chest rig and tactical knife,鈥 a pistol with two magazines and ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, a screwdriver, a nail punch, a crowbar, a pistol light and duct tape, in addition to other items, according to the affidavit. His plan was to break into the house, kill the justice and then kill himself, according to the affidavit. (Cramer and Jimenez, 6/8)
The attempted murder charges against a California man who allegedly threatened to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh rattled Washington on Wednesday and raised questions about the security and safety of the Supreme Court justices as they prepare to deliver an opinion on the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case. The Justice Department has charged California resident Nicholas Roske with attempted murder, alleging he appeared in Kavanaugh鈥檚 Maryland neighborhood early Wednesday morning with a gun. Roske allegedly later told police during questioning that he was 鈥渦pset鈥 about a draft Supreme Court decision that would overturn precedent granting a federal constitutional right to abortion, according to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. (Swan and Gerstein, 6/8)
