Man charged over Justice Kavanaugh murder plot
June 8, 2022
A man was charged on Wednesday with attempting to murder US Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
The Californian was allegedly upset by mass shootings as well as expected Supreme Court rulings on abortion and gun rights. He allegedly set out to kill the conservative justice for these reasons.
Police arrested the 26-year-old early in the morning outside the judge's house in a suburb of Washington.
He was allegedly carrying a semi-automatic Glock 17 pistol, a knife and tactical vest, as well as zip ties, ammunition, pepper spray, a crowbar, and duct tape.
After being spotted by US Marshals stationed at the house, he allegedly wandered off and phoned emergency services to say he was feeling suicidal and that he intended to kill Kavanaugh. He was quickly arrested without incident.
After his arrest, he told police "that he was upset about the leak of a recent Supreme Court draft decision regarding the right to abortion, as well as the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas," according to an FBI affidavit.
He "indicated that he believed the justice that he intended to kill would side with Second Amendment decisions that would loosen gun control laws," it continued.
Draft court opinion leaked
Last month, a draft court opinion was dramatically leaked to Politico, suggesting that the Supreme Court is on the cusp of overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that guarantees federal constitutional protections of abortion rights.
The court is also considering a challenge to New York's gun laws, with the potential of making it easier to carry guns in public.
Since the leak, there have been protests at the homes of Kavanaugh and other justices.
US President Joe Biden condemned Wednesday's incident "in the strongest terms," and supports pending legislation that would improve security for the justices, according to the White House.
The US Justice Department announced in May it was bolstering security for Supreme Court justices following the leak, ordering the US Marshals Service to support the court's existing police force.
"Threats of violence and actual violence against the justices, of course, strike at the heart of our democracy," US Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters after the arrest.
Former US President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018, despite multiple accusations of sexual misconduct.
aw/nm (AFP, AP, Reuters)