Biography
Sophie Roske was a California substitute teacher who in June 2022, called police and reported they were experiencing a mental health crisis and planned to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in retaliation for the overturn of Roe v. Wade and from fears that the Court would overturn the right to same-sex marriage. They turned themself in to the police without ever interacting with Justice Kavanaugh. Rather than provide Roske with psychiatric help she was held in custody without bail on charges of attempted assassination of a Supreme Court justice. On April 8, 2025, Roske pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 97 months in prison and lifetime supervised release. The Justice Department appealed the sentence, arguing that it was too lenient. That appeal is currently ongoing.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice — guilty plea, offense facts, 97-month sentence, and lifetime supervision
- Associated Press — April 8, 2025 guilty plea and political motives described in court
- Associated Press — October 3, 2025 sentence, surrender, custody, and transgender identity
- The Washington Post — June 2026 government appeal seeking a longer sentence
