A California woman who admitted trying to assassinate US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 has been sentenced to eight years and one month in federal prison. Sophie Roske, who was charged under her birth name Nicholas Roske but now uses female pronouns, pleaded guilty in April to attempted assassination and faced a potential life sentence.
At the sentencing hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland, US District Judge Deborah Boardman called Roske's crime 'absolutely reprehensible' but noted her sincere remorse, lack of prior criminal history, and low likelihood of reoffending. Prosecutors said Roske travelled from California with a handgun, ammunition, a crowbar, pepper spray and other items, intending to kill Kavanaugh for 'terroristic purposes'.
According to court filings, Roske called police after seeing US Marshals outside Kavanaugh's home, telling the dispatcher she was suicidal and planned to kill the justice. Prosecutors said Roske, then 26, was dismayed by anticipated Supreme Court decisions ending the national right to abortion and rolling back gun regulations.
Speaking in court, Roske apologised to Kavanaugh and his family for 'the considerable distress' she caused. 'I have been portrayed as a monster, and this tragic mistake I made will follow me for the rest of my life,' she said. Prosecutors had recommended at least 30 years, arguing she posed a 'very real threat to our system of government'.
Roske's lawyers successfully argued for a lesser sentence because she called 911 to surrender and cooperated with authorities. The sentencing comes amid rising political violence in the US, including two attempted assassinations of Donald Trump last year and the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah. Threats against federal judges have more than doubled since 2021, according to US Marshals Service data.
