The Department of Justice’s latest sentencing memo in the Nicholas “Sophie” Roske case reads like the script of a political thriller — except this one is chillingly real. Prosecutors aren’t mincing words: they say Roske’s plan to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh — and potentially two other justices — was nothing less than terrorism aimed at reshaping the Supreme Court by force.
The details are damning. Months of planning. Hours of online research into “the most effective way to silently kill someone” and “countries least likely to extradite.” The purchase of a Glock 17, tactical gloves, a pry bar, zip ties, and body armor.
A saved Google map with the supposed addresses of four justices. And Discord messages boasting about “shooting for 3.” This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment tantrum. It was methodical, deliberate, and explicitly ideological.
Roske traveled from California to Maryland with his arsenal in June 2022, arriving at Justice Kavanaugh’s neighborhood in the dead of night. He only turned himself in after seeing deputy U.S. marshals guarding the house — and after a conversation with his sister. The government’s position is blunt: without that visible security, we could very well be talking about an unprecedented national tragedy.
Prosecutors want a 30-year sentence, invoking a terrorism enhancement that raises the guidelines from a decade-long slap on the wrist to something that reflects the gravity of the crime. They argue Roske’s goal was to “single-handedly alter the Constitutional order for ideological ends,” and they’re right. A targeted assassination campaign against Supreme Court justices would be nothing short of a constitutional crisis.
The defense is pushing for eight years, citing Roske’s mental health struggles, lack of prior criminal record, and gender identity turmoil. But the memo dismantles those claims: personal distress doesn’t negate calculated intent, nor does it excuse the purchase of weapons, reconnaissance, and deletion of digital trails. This was not the act of a confused wanderer. It was a premeditated attempt to intimidate and coerce one branch of government.
The timing matters too. This plot unfolded amid the uproar over the leaked Dobbs opinion — an unprecedented breach that still has no identified culprit. That leak inflamed tensions, painted targets on the justices, and helped push one unhinged individual toward violence. Nearly three years later, the leaker remains unpunished while the fallout continues to endanger judicial independence.
Roske’s plan failed, but only barely. Friday’s filing makes clear that the Republic was spared by a mix of deterrence and chance: armed marshals standing guard, and a phone call from a family member. That cannot be the standard by which our institutions survive.
The message the Justice Department is sending is stark: attack a judge to change the outcome of a case, and you’ll spend decades behind bars. Anything less risks inviting the next would-be assassin to finish what Roske started.
