The man who confessed to plotting Judge Kavanaugh's murder identifies as a transgender woman

On Friday, the Department of Justice recommended a 30-year prison sentence for Nicholas Roske, the man arrested in 2022 outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh while planning to assassinate him. According to court documents, Roske identifies as a transgender woman under the name Sophie, though the case remains legally registered as United States v. Nicholas John Roske.

Personal crisis and motivations

Roske pleaded guilty in April 2025, admitting that he traveled from California to Maryland with guns, ammunition and tools to break into the justice's home. According to records, he was going through a severe mental breakdown with suicidal thoughts and, at the same time, became radicalized after the leak of the Supreme Court draft anticipating the overturning of Roe v. Wade. That combination led him to plot the assassination of Judge Kavanaugh. The attempt came amid protests outside the homes of conservative judges following that historic leak.

Defense attorneys indicated they will refer to their client as Sophie Roske and use female pronouns "out of respect."

Prosecutors' arguments

The Department of Justice argues that the requested penalty should send a "strong message" that attempts to intimidate or target judges and federal officials will be punished severely. In their briefs, prosecutors assert that Roske "meticulously researched, planned, and attempted to assassinate" Supreme Court justices, with the stated purpose of altering key judicial decisions.

Attorney General Pam Bondi characterized the attack as an act of political violence: "This attempt against the life of a Supreme Court Justice was an attack on the entire judicial system that cannot go unpunished," she said in remarks reported by The Daily Wire.