Sophie Roske sentenced to 97 months for Kavanaugh attack

A federal judge on Friday sentenced Sophie Roske to eight years and one month in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for attempting to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the early hours of June 8, 2022. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman imposed the 97-month term at a hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland, saying the punishment was sufficient but not greater than necessary after considering the unusual circumstances of Roske’s surrender.

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of at least 30 years, arguing Roske’s actions amounted to terrorism aimed at intimidating the judiciary and altering the course of government. Roske, who was charged under the name Nicholas Roske and pleaded guilty in April to one count of attempting to murder a Supreme Court justice, faced a maximum penalty of life in prison. Boardman declined to adopt the government’s proposed sentence, saying prosecutors produced no evidence that a 30-year term would achieve general deterrence and finding that Roske did not pose a continuing danger if placed under federal supervision.

Court records show Roske flew from California to the Washington area in June 2022 and arrived near Kavanaugh’s...