Sophie Roske, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to attempting to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022, was sentenced to eight years and one month in jail on Friday, in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Roske was arrested and charged under a male name but now goes by Sophie Roske, according to her defense attorneys. In April, she pleaded guilty to attempting to kill or kidnap a Supreme Court justice.
The 97-month sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman, who also ordered a lifetime of supervised release.
The Justice Department will appeal the sentence, said Attorney General Pam Bondi, who called the 97-month prison term “woefully insufficient” and argued it “does not reflect the horrific facts of this case.” Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence.
During sentencing, the judge noted Roske’s history of mental health issues and said Roske showed remorse, noting that she called the police on herself before attacking Kavanaugh, but said Roske’s conduct was “incredibly serious” and a “significant prison sentence” was warranted.
“Anyone who thinks they can intimidate a judge and [their] family by threatening to harm or engage in violence against them will be caught and punished,” Boardman said, adding “whether the target audience sees this message, hears it,” is “frankly unknown.”
In court, Roske briefly spoke, apologizing to Justice Kavanaugh.
“I sincerely apologize to the justice and his family for the considerable distress I have put them through,” Roske said, adding she was sorry for “contributing to the fear that judges feel while doing their job.”
Roske continued, calling her actions “selfish and misguided,” before adding, “I have been portrayed as a monster, and this tragic mistake I have made will follow me the rest of my life.”
In September, prosecutors asked that Roske face at least 30 years in prison for attempting the “preplanned, coldblooded murder” of Kavanaugh at his home in 2022. Roske was seen by U.S. Marshals getting out of a cab near Kavanaugh’s home in the early morning hours before walking up the street away from the home. But Roske then called an emergency line and reported having suicidal thoughts and a firearm in a suitcase. Roske then told the operator of coming from California to kill a “specific United States Supreme Court justice,” according to a court filing.
Roske was then detained without incident, in possession of a black tactical chest rig and tactical knife, a Glock 17 pistol with two magazines and ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, screwdriver, nail punch, crow bar, pistol light, duct tape, hiking boots with padding on the outside of the soles, and other items, an affidavit said.
In her plea agreement, Roske admitted to traveling from California, where she lived at the time, to Maryland, to attack Kavanaugh and, according to federal prosecutors, aimed to kill three members of the Supreme Court in order to “single-handedly alter the constitutional order for ideological ends.”
Roske, prosecutors said Friday, had “ramped up” plans for the attack after the leak of a draft of the Supreme Court decision ending the federal right to an abortion and leaving questions about its legality to the states.
“The defendant researched; planned; procured the tools for the planned killings; traveled across the entirety of the country with those tools, including a gun; and attempted to delete online evidence of motive and intent,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum.
“The defendant’s objective — to target and kill judges to seek to alter a court’s ruling — is an abhorrent form of terrorism and strikes at the core of the United States Constitution and our prescribed system of government,” the government said.
Roske also conducted Google searches for “how much force do you need to stab someone’s neck,” “most effective way to silently kill someone” and “how to break a lock,” according to the sentencing memorandum.
Prosecutors said that a map saved in Roske’s Google account contained pins that marked what Roske believed were the homes of four sitting Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority.
During Friday’s sentencing hearing, federal prosecutors displayed some of the materials Roske possessed when arrested, including zip ties, a tactical vest with pepper spray and a knife, a lock-pick set and a hammer.
Justice Department prosecutor Coreen Mao said Friday that Roske’s “singular, focused mission” was “terrorism” and she had aimed to “affect the conduct of government,” citing Roske’s statements to law enforcement after arrest and internet searches for information about Supreme Court justices.
Roske’s attorneys did not dispute their client’s actions leading up to the planned attack, but cited her yearslong history of mental health issues and an attempted suicide as context to her behavior in planning the attack. Roske’s attorneys asked for a sentence of eight years in prison and 25 years of supervised release.
Earlier this month, Roske wrote a letter to Boardman apologizing to Justice Kavanaugh for her actions.
“I put them through a harrowing experience and for that I am truly sorry. I am very glad I did not continue,” Roske wrote. “I am also sorry for contributing to a trend of political violence in American politics.”
Scott MacFarlane and
contributed to this report.
