Trial date set for man accused of attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

Trial date set for man accused of attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh

Michael Kunzelman
| Associated Press

Green Belt, Maryland – The trial of a California man accused of trying to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his home in a Washington, D.C., suburb is set to begin in June 2025

Federal Judge Peter Messitte set a trial date for Nicholas John Roske at a hearing Tuesday in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland. It was the first hearing in the case in nearly two years.

Roske, of Simi Valley, California, was arrested near Kavanaugh's home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, in June 2022. Roske was armed with a handgun and a knife, wearing zip ties and dressed in black when he arrived in the neighborhood in a taxi just after 1 a.m., federal authorities said.

Roske, who was 26 at the time of his arrest, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder of a U.S. judge. The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

After his arrest, Roske told a police detective that he was upset about the leak of a draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court intended to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to an FBI agent's affidavit.

Killing one jurist could change the court's decisions “for decades to come,” Roske wrote online, adding, “I'm targeting three jurists,” authorities said.

The leak of the draft opinion sparked protests, including at the homes of several judges. Roske's arrest prompted the U.S. House of Representatives to approve a bill to extend 24-hour security protection to judges' families.

Roske also said he was upset by the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting and believed Kavanaugh would vote to ease gun control laws, the statement said.

Roske was apprehended after calling 911 and telling a police dispatcher that he was near Kavanaugh's home and that he wanted to kill himself. Roske was spotted by two U.S. security guards who were part of the 24-hour security provided to the justices.

Roske, who is jailed in Baltimore awaiting trial, was brought into court in handcuffs and shackles Tuesday. He did not speak during the 20-minute hearing.

Jury selection is expected to begin June 9. “Jury selection in this case may take a little longer,” Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Gavin told the court Tuesday. The trial is expected to last about a week.

In a court filing last month, Gavin said prosecutors and defense attorneys had been unable to negotiate terms for a “preliminary resolution of this case,” such as a plea agreement.

At a hearing in October 2022, Messitte said there was a “very strong likelihood” he would order a mental evaluation for Roske to determine whether he was fit to assist his defense, plead guilty or stand trial.

Andrew Szekely, one of Roske's attorneys, said during Tuesday's hearing that the defense is not seeking a court-ordered mental evaluation of Roske.

Lina Portman

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