Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that is an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 27, 2018.
Tom Williams | pool | Reuters
A California man armed with a handgun, a knife, pepper spray and stolen tools was arrested Wednesday morning near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Maryland home, law-enforcement officials said .
According to officials, a man named Nicholas John Roske told police that he was there to kill Kavanaugh.
Roske, 26, arrived in a taxi near Kavanaugh’s home in Chevy Chase, a suburb outside Washington, DC.
Officials said Roske was apprehended by members of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Montgomery County Police Department after making a 911 call a block away from the residence in which they said he had suicidal thoughts and tried to attack Kavanaugh. had traveled for.
Officials said the Simi Valley resident told the 911 operator that his suitcase contained an unloaded gun in a locked case.
Roske was taken to the Montgomery County Police Station after being confronted by police.
Federal criminal charges are expected to be filed against Roske, who is due to appear in US District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Wednesday afternoon.
“This kind of behavior is obviously behavior that we will not tolerate,” Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters.
“Threats of violence and genuine violence against justice certainly strike the heart of our democracy, and we will do everything we can to stop them and those who hold them accountable, Garland said.
The Supreme Court issued a statement on the arrest, saying: “The man was armed and made threats against Justice Kavanaugh.”
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan praised the response of marshals and police in a statement, saying they “acted quickly to apprehend the suspect and prevent him from doing any harm.”
Kavanaugh’s home, like other conservative Supreme Court justices, was the site of protests last month after a majority draft opinion was leaked that would overturn the constitutional right to abortion. The draft was written by another conservative Justice Samuel Alito.
Police stand outside the home of US Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh as abortion-rights advocates protest on May 11, 2022 in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Kevin Diesh | Getty Images
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a final decision in the next several weeks on the Mississippi abortion law that was the subject of a draft opinion.
Wednesday’s incident happened hours before the court delivered its verdict on a case related to abortion.
Security has been tightened at the residences of all the nine judges since last month following the unexpected leak of the draft.
The Justice Department said in mid-May that the martial service was providing “round-the-clock security” at the homes of all nine judges.
A spokesman for the Marshall Service told CNBC on Wednesday that security measures are still in place at the judges’ homes.
on Tuesday, US Department of Homeland Security Issued a bulletin warning of “an ever-increasing threat environment across the United States”.
The bulletin said that in the coming months DHS “expects that the threat environment will become more dynamic as many high-profile incidents can be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of potential targets”. Is.”
Hogan said in his statement that he and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin “will continue to partner with both federal and local law enforcement officials to help ensure these residential areas” where Supreme Court justices live “are safe.” “
“I call on the leaders of both parties in Washington to strongly condemn these actions in no uncertain terms.
Hogan said.
“It is vital to our constitutional system that judges are able to perform their duties without fear of violence against them and their families.”