On Wednesday morning, the unthinkable happened: a man who was upset that the Supreme Court appears ready to overrule Roe v. Wade was arrested for attempting to murder Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
According to the criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Nicholas Roske arrived outside Justice Kavanaugh’s home in Maryland at 1:05 a.m. dressed in black clothing. In his backpack, Roske was carrying a Glock 17 pistol, two magazines, ammunition, pepper spray and burglary tools. Fortunately, before he got to the house, he saw two U.S. Marshals who were standing outside of Justice Kavanaugh’s house — and they also saw him. At that point, he turned around, walked down the street, and called the police. Roske told them that he was having suicidal thoughts, that he had come to kill Justice Kavanaugh, and that he was then planning on killing himself. Fortunately, Roske was taken into custody before any loss of life occurred.
Thank God that Justice Kavanaugh, his family and the marshals guarding him are okay. But now, we have to have a very serious conversation about how the Left’s reckless endangerment of the justices has left them in a life-threatening situation.
First, the leaker. If the leaker ever reads this, hear me loud and clear: this is your fault. You’re a disgrace to the Court, to the bar, and to the country. I hope and pray that your identity is discovered, that you are held accountable for your actions, and that because of your egregious breach of the Court’s trust that resulted in an attempt on a Justice’s life, you are never allowed to practice law.
Second, Politico. You call yourself journalists? You knew darn well that if you published that draft opinion that something like this would happen. You didn’t care. You turned on the outrage machine so that all the crazy pro-aborts like Roske would flock to your website, which would be good for business — other consequences be damned. You’re the villains from Tomorrow Never Dies, willing to put innocent people’s lives at stake just so you can get good ratings.
Third, Ruth Sent Us. If anyone doesn’t know this group, “Ruth” refers to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was the Court’s foremost proponent of abortion. Ruth Sent Us doxed the Justices by posting their home addresses on the internet so that people like Roske could find them. While I strongly disagree with much of what Justice Ginsburg stood for, her deep friendship with Justice Antonin Scalia shows that she never would have stood for this. If Justice Ginsburg were still here, she would have been known as “Notorious RBG” for a new reason: her epic smackdown of your mob tactics committed in her name.
Fourth, Chuck Schumer. Two years ago, Senator Schumer stood on the steps of the United States Supreme Court and said, “I want to tell you, Gorsuch; I want to tell you, Kavanaugh: You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You won't know what hit if you go forward with these awful decisions.” This drew a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts, calling Schumer’s words, “not only inappropriate” but also “dangerous.” Didn’t Roske prove that Roberts was right?
Finally, Joe Biden. The president is charged with executing the laws, and federal law prohibits protests at the Justices’ homes. But instead of enforcing the law, he let his press secretary praise the protestors for breaking it! The president should be protecting the innocent rather than enabling the guilty.
If it sounds like I’m mad in this op-ed, I am. I’m furious. I’m a lawyer and a member of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. I don’t care if the target is Brett Kavanaugh or Sonia Sotomayor: those are the Justices of the United States Supreme Court. Don’t you dare touch them!
Can we do anything about this? Absolutely.
First, pray. While the Left mocks prayer, I believe that prayer moves the hand that moves the world. When God makes up His mind that He is going to do something, nothing can stop Him. Therefore, pray fervently for the Justices’ protection.
Second, if you’re represented by a Democrat in the House of Representatives, pick up the phone and tell them to pass the Supreme Court Police Parity Act, which expands protection for the Justices and their families. The Senate passed the bill unanimously, but it’s going nowhere in the House. Pick up the phone and tell your representatives to pass the bill.
Third, if you see something, say something. Roske proves it: people are willing to kill Supreme Court Justices to keep the right to kill unborn children. Because the threat is real, the public’s vigilance needs to be real as well.
An independent judiciary is essential to the American form of government. If we want to keep it, then We the People must ensure that the Court’s security is so good that mob tactics will never stand a chance.
Matt Clark is the President of the Alabama Center for Law and Liberty, a conservative nonprofit law firm that fights for limited government, free markets, and strong families in the courts. His column appears every Friday in 1819 News. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
