Young man traveled from California to Maryland to try to assassinate US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh

A young man from California upset about the mass shootings in USAand impending Supreme Court rulings on abortion and the right to bear arms, was charged Wednesday with attempting to assassinate conservative judge Brett Kavanaugh.

Nicholas John Roske was arrested around 01:50 (05:50 GMT) on Wednesday in front of the house of Kavanaugh in Chevy Chase, Maryland, outside Washington, carrying a Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol, a knife and a tactical vest, according to documents filed in federal court.

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Roske was seen outside Kavanaugh’s home by two police officers standing guard.. She then walked away and called emergency services, telling them that she felt suicidal and that had come from California to kill Kavanaughaccording to the documents.

The 26-year-old was arrested without incident. by the local police while he was still on the phone.

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Later told police “that he was angry about the leak of a recent Supreme Court draft decision on abortion rightsas well as the recent Uvalde, Texas school shooting,” according to an FBI affidavit.

“Roske indicated that he believed the judge he intended to kill would side with Second Amendment decisions that would relax gun control laws”, he added.

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President Joe Biden condemned the threat against Kavanaugh “in the strongest terms,” ​​the White House said.

Greater security

The arrest occurred when The Supreme Court is preparing to rule at the end of the month on two highly charged political cases on abortion and the right to bear arms.

A draft opinion in the case of abortion leaked to the press in early May, authored by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, suggested the court was about to overturn the Roe v Wade ruling that five decades ago enshrined abortion rights across the country.

If Alito’s bill passes with the support of a majority of the justices, states will be able to immediately implement full or near-total bans on the abortion procedure.

The prospect sparked anger and consternation among abortion rights advocates, sparking protests outside the residences of Kavanaugh, Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts.

After the leak of the text and the demonstrations, the security of the magistrates was increased and barriers were erected around the headquarters of the Supreme Court to prevent people from approaching the building.

“Threats of violence and actual violence against judges, of course, strike at the heart of our democracy”US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday.

“That is why last month I accelerated the protection of all magistrates’ residences, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said.

abortion and weapons

Kavanaugh is one of six justices on the conservative wing of the Supreme Court, three of which were nominated by former Republican President Donald Trump. But he’s not seen as hard-line like Alito, or Clarence Thomas.

A Catholic, his nomination in 2018 sparked heated debates about his views on women and abortion rights.

His confirmation and the entry in October 2020 of another Catholic judge, Amy Coney Barrett, strongly anti-abortion, gave the conservative justices a majority of 6 to 3 against the progressives.

The leak of Alito’s draft opinion sparked speculation that someone hoped to push the court in one direction or another in its final decision on the abortion case, which is expected to rule before June 30.

Some analysts believe that Roberts and Kavanaugh could take a moderating position in the final judgment to partially uphold the abortion protections in Roe v. Wades from 1973.

The Supreme Court is also expected to rule in the coming weeks on a gun case in New York that could see gun control laws relaxed.

That decision is also in the spotlight after a spate of mass shootings across the country, most notably one that left 10 African-Americans dead in Buffalo, New York; and the massacre of 19 schoolchildren and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.

Those shootings have fueled calls for tighter controls on guns and a strong backlash against gun owners seeking fewer controls.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.