An armed man was arrested near Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s Maryland home overnight. According to people familiar with the investigation cited by The Washington Post, the man was carrying at least one weapon and told police that he had plotted to kill the Supreme Court justice.
“The man was armed and made threats against Justice Kavanaugh. He was transported to Montgomery County Police 2nd District,” Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said in a statement.
The suspect was identified as 26-year-old Nicholas John Roske of Simi Valley, California.
It appears that police were notified that the person might pose a threat to Kavanaugh. The individual failed to make it into the conservative justice's home and was stopped on a nearby street, sources told the WaPo.
The outlet reported that the man was frustrated with a leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court was about to overrule Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion. He was also angry over a recent surge in mass shootings across the United States, two people familiar with the investigation said.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland addressed the incident at a press conference. which was scheduled for him to provide an update on the investigation into the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting.
"This kind of behavior, it's obviously behavior that we will not tolerate. Threats of violence and actual violence against the justices of course strike at the heart of our democracy. We will do everything we can to prevent them and hold people who do them accountable," Garland said.
The AG revealed that he had accelerated the protection of all nine justices' residences day and night, and met with the marshal of the court last month.
Kavanaugh's home was the site of protests last month after the leak of the majority draft opinion. Security has been beefed up at all nine of the Supreme Court justices' homes since May following the leak, with the Department of Justice revealing that the Marshals Service was providing "around-the-clock security" at their properties.
Last month, US media obtained a leaked Supreme Court draft majority opinion effectively scrapping federal abortion protections and granting authority on the matter back to states. Roe v Wade's supporters fear that the 1973 ruling may be scrapped amid conservative justices' 6-3 majority in the highest court.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed that the 67-page abortion draft opinion was authentic, but stressed it was not the final decision of the court. Roberts ordered an investigation into the leak.
Judge Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as US Supreme Court Justice in October 2018, after being confirmed by the US Senate.