By Newly filed court documents reveal that Nicholas Roske, the man arrested in 2022 for attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, now identifies as a transgender woman named Sophie Roske and is using female pronouns in court.
The Justice Department is pressing for a 30-year sentence after Roske pleaded guilty in April 2025 to the charge of attempting to kill a Supreme Court justice. Authorities say Roske, then 29, was stopped outside Kavanaugh’s Maryland home with a backpack containing a Glock 17 pistol, ammunition, tactical gear, burglary tools, and other equipment prepared for the attack.
He allegedly wanted to kill three conservative justices, according to CBS News.
The Daily Wire writes that in a recent filing, defense lawyers wrote: “The case is captioned as United States v. Nicholas John Roske. That name remains Ms. Roske’s legal name, and she has not asked to recaption the case. Out of respect for Ms. Roske, the balance of this pleading and counsel’s in-court argument will refer to her as Sophie and use female pronouns.” A source close to the case said Roske had previously used female identities online, consistent with the name now listed in filings.
Attorney General Pam Bondi called the case a stark warning. “This attempt against the life of a Supreme Court Justice was an attack on the entire judicial system that cannot go unpunished,” she said. “This Department of Justice condemns political violence and our prosecutors will ensure that this disturbed individual faces severe consequences for his deranged actions.” Prosecutors argued that the sentence must “send the unequivocal, clear, and strong message that attempted violence and threats of violence against members of the judiciary—as well as other public and federal officials—cannot and will not be tolerated.”
The filings detail how Roske “meticulously researched, planned, and attempted to assassinate at least one—but had a stated target of three—sitting judges of the United States Supreme Court” with the “explicit objective” of reshaping constitutional law. His online history reflected suicidal ideation and an obsession with high-profile violence. On Discord in March 2022, Roske wrote: “My mental health is too poor for me to fear death. But prison sounds worse… So if I did kill someone I would definitely try to get away with it.”
Court records point to the May 2022 POLITICO leak of a draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade as the trigger. Roske admitted he was “actively suicidal” but wanted to “do something positive before I die” by targeting Kavanaugh. After locating the justice’s home through media coverage, he confessed to officers: “I was thinking about killing Brett Kavanaugh and then killing myself. And then I texted my sister that I loved her. And then she called me and she told me not to do it. And then I called 9-1-1.”
The DOJ noted that Roske conducted more than 90 firearm-related searches in a single month, researching silencers, sniping tactics, and stealth methods like “how to break glass quietly.” He also explored questions such as “most effective place to stab someone” and “countries that don’t extradite to the US.”
The case comes amid growing national debate over transgender-linked violence. Just last week, authorities accused Tyler Robinson of murdering Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, a case with its own connections to transgender identity. And earlier in Minneapolis, a 23-year-old who identified as transgender allegedly opened fire at a Catholic school. These incidents have spurred new calls for federal action, with conservative groups urging the FBI to classify “Transgender Ideology Violent Extremism” as a domestic threat.
In both cases, liberals found it difficult to condemn the violence with one reporter calling Robinson’s text messages “touching” while the mayor of Minneapolis attacked the Catholic church for praying in the wake of two of its school children being murdered. Later, transgender activists protested the funerals.
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