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A resident from the state of California who confessed to attempting to assassinate US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 was handed a prison term on Friday to 97 months in federal prison.

Court Hearing and Judicial Comments

The defendant, Sophie Roske, who was indicted under her birth name Nicholas Roske but currently identifies with she/her pronouns, received her sentence during a court hearing before US District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Judge Boardman described Roske's offense as "completely unacceptable," but noted that the defendant displayed sincere regret, had a clean history, and was unlikely to reoffend.

Details of the Case and Admission of Guilt

Roske admitted guilt in April to the charge of attempted assassination and had faced a possible life imprisonment. Prosecutors stated that she journeyed from California carrying a handgun, ammunition, a crowbar, pepper spray, and other items with the intent to carry out a killing "with terrorist aims."

Upon arriving at Kavanaugh's home, Roske called the police after observing US marshals stationed outside the house, informing the dispatcher that she was having suicidal thoughts and intended to kill Justice Kavanaugh, as documented in legal documents.

Motivation and Defendant's Statement

The prosecution indicated that Roske, who was 26 at the time when arrested, was upset about expected Supreme Court rulings that would end the national right to abortion and roll back gun regulations.

Speaking directly to the district judge during Friday's hearing, Roske expressed regret to Kavanaugh and his family for "the considerable distress" she had inflicted them.

"People have depicted me as a villain, and this grave error I made will follow me for the remainder of my days," the defendant said.

Prosecution's Argument and Defense's Plea

The government's attorneys had recommended a prison sentence of at least 30 years, arguing that Roske had premeditated her crime for months and was resolved to find the addresses of four unidentified sitting Supreme Court justices.

"The defendant represented a genuine danger to our system of government, our constitution," federal prosecutor Coreen Mao asserted at the hearing. She emphasized that no public official should live in fear of being killed at any time for doing their job.

Roske's lawyers had asked Judge Boardman to impose a term of no more than 96 months, pointing out that she had contacted emergency services to surrender and had worked with the law enforcement. Roske should be judged "based on her actions, not for what she thought about," they argued.

Broader Context of Ideologically Motivated Attacks

The court ruling takes place amid indicators of rising political violence in the United States, including two tries to kill of Donald Trump during his presidential campaign last year, and the killing last month of rightwing political activist Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah.

Menaces against US judiciary members have increased significantly since 2021, according to US Marshals Service data reviewed by Reuters last year. Some judges who have ruled against Trump administration policies have encountered threats and harassment along with their families, as documented in a Reuters inquiry.