The United States Supreme Court has confirmed that an armed man who was arrested near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh overnight has admitted that he intended to kill the conservative justice. The California man was carrying a gun and a knife, along with equipment for breaking into the justice’s home, when he was apprehended at 1:50 a.m. on June 8. He immediately confessed that the court’s leaked abortion opinion was his motive for the planned crime.
Man told officers he planned to kill Kavanaugh
The justices have had security present constantly both at their houses and at the Supreme Court building itself since the abortion opinion leaked in May.
Conservatives have argued that security around the homes of Kavanaugh and other conservative justices has been insufficient; protesters have repeatedly been able to approach Kavanaugh’s Maryland residence.
The arrested California man, said to be in his 20s, was intercepted after police received a tip as he was heading towards Kavanaugh’s house, having travelled to the area in a taxi.
He is described as having been “close” to the Kavanaugh residence when he was apprehended, but just how close the man got to carrying out his threats is not known.
He told law enforcement officers that his outrage over the leaked opinion, authored by Justice Samuel Alito, had turned into a desire to kill Kavanaugh after recent mass shootings.
The suspect was not at all shy about telling officers what his intention was, and he was fully equipped to carry out his threats had he not been spotted and reported by someone who was also, fortuitously, out at 1:50 a.m.
Justices in danger
While Kavanaugh did not author the leaked abortion opinion, he has been singled out by Democrats as a potentially illegitimate justice due to his contentious confirmation process.
Kavanaugh was accused of a decades old sexual assault after he was nominated, prompting a fierce controversy that continued even after he was confirmed by the Senate.
The Supreme Court as a whole is said to be on edge currently, as the unprecedented leak was a shocking breach of trust in an institution that has historically prided itself on being above the scandals and feuds that plague other branches of government.
Justice Clarence Thomas has openly admitted that the court now suffers from an atmosphere of distrust and paranoia that it changing how the justices operate.
Chief Justice John Roberts has vowed that the court will not be swayed or intimidated by the leak, but the justices and their clerks are clearly feeling the pressure.
The conservative justices now know that the threat of violent reprisals for their opposition to Roe v. Wade has become very real.
