Teacher Tried To Kill Brett Kavanaugh Over Abortion Stance—Prosecutors

A substitute teacher had planned to take his own life after killing Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh, prosecutors have said.

Maryland federal judge, Peter J. Messitte, said at a status hearing on Tuesday that Nicholas John Roske’s trial will begin on June 9, 2025.

Roske, 28, allegedly told police he was motivated by Kavanaugh’s vote in the Dobbs case which overturned Roe v. Wade.

The landmark 2022 case established that there is no constitutional right to abortion. Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, voted with the conservative majority.

A leaked copy of the decision appeared online and police found Roske armed with a Glock pistol outside Kavanaugh’s house two weeks before the Dobbs judgment was delivered.

The attempted assassination was allegedly well planned – Roske was found in possession of a Glock pistol and ammunition; a thermal imaging monocular for viewing in the dark; pepper spray held in a chest holster; a black mask and lock opening equipment.

Roske also allegedly told police that he did not agree with Kavanaugh’s pro-Second Amendment stance, especially after a mass shooting in Texas.

He found Kavanagh’s home address on the internet and allegedly had plans to kill Kavanaugh in his home and then kill himself.

Roske was indicted on a felony count of attempting to kidnap or murder, or threatening to assault, kidnap, or murder a federal judge, “to wit, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.”

The indictment includes a forfeiture request seeking the forfeiture of a firearm, two magazines loaded with 10 rounds each of 9mm ammunition; 17 rounds of ammunition contained in a plastic bag, a black speed loader, and additional items including a thermal imaging monocular; hard-knuckle tactical gloves; a Gerber-type hunting knife, pepper spray; lock picking and burglary tools; a torchlight and laser and a black mask.

“If convicted, Roske faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison for attempting to assassinate a Justice of the United States. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties,” according to a statement by the Department of Justice when Roske was indicted in 2022.

Newsweek sought email comment from Roske’s attorney on Thursday.

Roske was arrested outside Kavanaugh’s Maryland home at 1:50 am on June 8, 2022. The Dobbs decision wasn’t delivered until June 24, 2022.

The suspect was taken to Montgomery County Police 2nd District after his arrest.

He had been working as a substitute teacher near his home in eastern Simi Valley, California. He graduated from Simi Valley High School in 2014.

The charging document states that on June 8, 2022, at about 1:05 a.m., “two United States Deputy Marshals saw an individual dress in black clothing and carrying a backpack and a suitcase, get out of a taxicab that had stopped in front of the Montgomery County, Maryland residence of a current Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The individual looked at the two Deputy U.S. Marshals, who were standing next to their parked vehicle, and then turned to walk down the street.”

Roske appeared to have second thoughts about his actions, the charging document suggests.

“Shortly thereafter, Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center fielded a call from an individual who identified himself as NICHOLAS JOHN ROSKE,” it states.

“ROSKE informed the call taker that he was having suicidal thoughts and had a firearm in his suitcase. ROSKE also told the call taker he came from California to kill a specific United States Supreme Court Justice. The Montgomery County Police Department officers were dispatched to the location near the Supreme Court Justice’s residence where they encountered ROSKE, who was still on the telephone with the Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center. ROSKE was taken into custody without incident and law enforcement officers seized both the backpack and the suitcase that were still in his possession.”

At the Montgomery police station, Roske allegedly told police “he was upset about the leak of a recent Supreme Court draft decision regarding the right to abortion as well as the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas,” the charging document states.

That related to a mass shooting at an elementary school the previous month, in which a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers and wounded 17 others.

“ROSKE indicated that he believed the Justice that he intended to kill would side with Second Amendment decisions that would loosen gun control laws,” the criminal complaint adds.

It appeared that Roske was going to kill Kavanaugh and then turn the gun on himself.

“ROSKE stated that he began thinking about how to give his life a purpose and decided that he would kill the Supreme Court Justice after finding the Justice’s Montgomery County address on the Internet. ROSKE further indicated that he had purchased the Glock pistol and other items for the purpose of breaking into the Justice’s residence and killing the Justice as well as himself,” it states.