Jul 29, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Man charged with attempted murder of Kavanaugh spoke of killing other justices

Julia Shapero

Law enforcement officers stand guard outside Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home on June 8, 2022 in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images

A California man charged with attempting to murder Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh also spoke of killing other justices, according to an FBI affidavit filed this week in court.

The big picture: Nicholas John Roske, 26, told police that he traveled to Maryland on June 8 to kill Kavanaugh, following the release of a draft opinion showing that the Supreme Court planned to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Roske was arrested outside of Kavanaugh's Maryland home and charged with attempted murder.

Driving the news: An FBI affidavit filed on Tuesday shows that Roske also spoke of killing other Supreme Court justices.

In a conversation with another individual on Discord, Roske claimed that he was going to prevent the Supreme Court from overturning Roe v. Wade. When asked what he was going to do, Roske said he planned to "remove some people" from the court.
"I could get at least one, which would change the votes for decades to come, and I am shooting for 3," he added, per the affidavit.

More details: Prior to the attempted attack, Roske had also sought advice online.

Roske posted on a Reddit page on May 10 asking, "Would Kavanugh being removed from the SC help women long term?"
On June 6, he asked on a different Reddit page, "How difficult is it to covertly take out an HVT?" HVT refers to a high-value target, according to the affidavit.
Roske also searched "quietest semi auto rifle," "assassinations" and "how to be stealthy" between May 5 and June 8.

Go deeper: Man charged for attempted murder of Justice Kavanaugh

Add Axios on Google

Man charged with attempted murder of Kavanaugh spoke of killing other justices

What to read next