A Troubled Mind and a Heavy Sentence: The Kavanaugh Assassination Attempt

A person who tried to harm a Supreme Court judge got a big punishment. But it wasn't as big as some wanted. The judge in the case, Deborah Boardman, gave Sophie Roske about eight years in prison. This was much less than the 30 years that prosecutors wanted. Roske had a gun and other tools when they went to Justice Brett Kavanaugh's house in 2022. They planned to hurt Kavanaugh and maybe others. Roske turned themselves in. This was a big reason why the judge gave a shorter sentence. Judge Boardman said Roske's actions showed they weren't a big danger. They also said Roske might get better help with mental health treatment outside of prison. Some people might not agree with this sentence. Prosecutors think a harsher punishment would stop others from trying to hurt judges. They said Roske's actions made other judges scared and even led to more threats. But Judge Boardman wasn't sure Roske would have actually hurt Kavanaugh if they hadn't seen the guards outside the house. Roske said they were sorry. They talked about their mental health problems. They also said they were upset about some big court decisions and a school shooting. This shows how important it is to talk about mental health and how it affects people's actions. It's also a reminder that violence is never the answer, no matter how upset someone might be.