Man charged in assassination plot against Brett Kavanaugh to stand trial in June 2025

Originally Published: 20 AUG 24 16:32 ET

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN

(CNN) — The man charged two years ago with attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh will face trial in June 2025.

The man, Nicholas Roske, who allegedly traveled to Kavanaugh’s Maryland home with a gun, burglary tools and other equipment, appeared in court Tuesday wearing a maroon prison uniform with a slight beard and long hair pulled in a bun.

The trial is expected to last a little more than a week and will take place in a federal courthouse in Maryland outside of the nation’s capital.

Judge Peter J. Messitte set the trial date of June 9, 2025, after prosecutors and defense attorneys were unable to come to any sort of agreement on a plea deal over the past two years.

After several filing deadlines were discussed, Roske’s attorneys were asked whether further mental evaluations would be requested for their client.

“Nothing required in terms of a mental evaluation,” his attorney, Andrew Szekely, told the judge.

Szekely also said they would be asking the judge to toss the statement Roske gave officers after his arrest but would not seek to keep out of evidence the 911 calls in which Roske allegedly told the operator he wanted to harm Kavanaugh.

Roske had dialed 911 when he was near Kavanaugh’s home in Maryland in June 2022, according to prosecutors, and told the operator he needed  “psychiatric help.”

“And you said you came from California. Do you know someone down here?” the operator asked in one of the phone calls.

“Brett Kavanaugh … the Supreme Court justice,” Roske said.

“OK, and what were you coming to do?” the operator asked. “Just to hurt yourself and him? Or what was going to happen?”

“Correct,” Roske replied.

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