A California man in his 20s was arrested near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Maryland home early Wednesday after threatening the justice’s life, according to The Washington Post. He told law enforcement that he was upset about a leaked opinion draft showing the court could soon overturn Roe v. Wade and about recent mass shootings.
“He decided to kill the justice and then himself ... thinking it would give his life purpose,” the Post reported, citing an affidavit.
The man, identified as 26-year-old Nicholas John Roske, carried a gun, ammunition, pepper spray, a knife, a crow bar, zip ties and other tools that could help him break into a house, the article noted. Kavanaugh and his family were home at the time of the arrest.
Kavanaugh is one of several justices who have been targeted by protesters after Politico leaked the opinion draft in early May. Abortion rights supporters, including some Democratic leaders in Congress, have accused Kavanaugh and other conservative justices of lying when they were asked about Roe v. Wade during their confirmation hearings.
“There have been protests at Kavanaugh’s house in a Maryland suburb just outside the District of Columbia, and at the homes of other justices, as well as demonstrations at the court, where a security fence rings the building and nearby streets have been closed,” The Associated Press reported.
In response to these protests, the Senate passed the Supreme Court Police Parity Act on May 9, which would offer additional security resources to members of the Supreme Court and their families. The bill is currently being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters Wednesday that he condemns violence or threats against Supreme Court justices and that he is working to keep them and other judges safe.
”Threats of violence and actual violence against the justices of course strike at the heart of our democracy,” Garland said, according to The Washington Post. “And we will do everything we can to prevent them and to hold people who do them accountable.”