The Trump administration has announced that it intends to appeal the paltry eight-year sentence given to the would-be assassin of a Supreme Court Justice.
“The attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a disgusting attack against our entire judicial system by a profoundly disturbed individual,” Attorney General Pam Bondi tweeted Friday, adding that the Justice Department “will be appealing the woefully insufficient sentence imposed by the district court, which does not reflect the horrific facts of this case.”
The attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a disgusting attack against our entire judicial system by a profoundly disturbed individual. @TheJusticeDept will be appealing the woefully insufficient sentence imposed by the district court, which does not…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) October 3, 2025
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche tweeted something similar.
“This sentence was substantively unreasonable,” he wrote. “An assassination plot against a Supreme Court Justice strikes at the heart of our Republic. As @AGPamBondi stated, we will appeal to correct this miscarriage of justice and defend the rule of law.”
This sentence was substantively unreasonable. An assassination plot against a Supreme Court Justice strikes at the heart of our Republic. As @AGPamBondi stated, we will appeal to correct this miscarriage of justice and defend the rule of law. https://t.co/uOC7anFkfW
— Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) October 3, 2025
The tweets were posted hours after Nicholas Roske, 29, received an eight-year sentence for traveling to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house in 2022 to potentially assassinate him.
According to ABC News, the sentence was “far below the three-decade term sought by federal prosecutors.”
U.S. District Court Deborah Boardman attributed her ruling partly to Roske’s fateful decision to abort the assassination plan and call 911. Note that in explaining her decision, Boardman addressed Roske as Sophie Roske, which the defendant purported to be his new name after coming out as a so-called transgender woman.
“This is an atypical defendant and an atypical case,” the judge said. “Though she got far too close to executing her plans, the fact remains she abandoned them.”
“Sophie Roske’s admission of guilt and effort to come clean did not occur after or even because she was caught in the act by police. … If she had not called 911, law enforcement would never have known about Sophie Roske and her plot to kill a Supreme Court justice,” the judge added.
“In my 17 years of experience in federal criminal law in the District of Maryland, as a public defender and as a judge, I have never heard of another criminal defendant doing that. That is not the conduct of a person who is inherently dangerous. That shows me that something inside of her stopped her from inflicting harm on another human being,” the judge continued.
The judge also attributed her decision to Roske’s status as a so-called transgender woman.
“I take into consideration the conditions of pre-trial confinement and the fact that she is a transgender woman and will be sent to a male-only [Bureau of Prisons] facility,” she said.
Unreal. The attempted assassin put not only Justice Kavanaugh’s life at risk, but his family’s and his fellow justices’.
Judge Boardman’s explanation for granting Roske leniency is absurd — so, claiming you are transgender gets you less time in prison? That’s a great incentive… pic.twitter.com/oFBMQVTFFQ
— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) October 3, 2025
The paltry sentence was handed out despite a fierce battle by Assistant U.S. Attorney Coreen Mao.
“No judge or public official should have to live under the fear thinking that at any moment, at any given day, at any given time, that they could be killed in cold blood simply for doing their job,” she argued in court on Friday.
“The very early morning of June 8, 2022, that fear was very nearly realized for an associate justice of the Supreme Court and the justice’s family,” she continued.
According to ABC News, she also “displayed each of the weapons and tactical items that were found in Roske’s possession, and said that but for the presence of the marshals, Roske would likely have been successful in attacking Kavanaugh and his family.”
In her official sentencing memo, Mao and her team also noted that Roske’s actions have “led to other threats” against the Supreme Court, with another justice receiving a letter evoking Roske’s name.
“This shows that not only is the defendant a threat to the Associate Justice and other members of the Court, but that defendant’s actions will continue to have consequences for the Court and its members for years to come,” the memo reads. “It is paramount that the sentence imposed in this case powerfully send the message that violence and threats of violence are not acceptable methods of expressing disagreement with a judicial ruling.”
“The sentence must send the message that the costs imposed for attempting to override our constitutional system of government through attempted murder vastly outweigh any perceived benefit,” the memo concludes.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.