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A resident from the state of California who confessed to trying to assassinate US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 was handed a prison term on Friday to 97 months in a federal penitentiary.

Court Hearing and Judicial Comments

The defendant, Sophie Roske, who was indicted under her birth name Nicholas Roske but currently identifies with female pronouns, received her punishment during a legal proceeding before US District Judge Deborah Boardman in the Maryland city of Greenbelt.

Judge Boardman described Roske's crime as "absolutely reprehensible," but added that the defendant displayed sincere regret, had no prior criminal record, and was unlikely to reoffend.

Details of the Case and Guilty Plea

Roske pleaded guilty in April to the offense of trying to kill a justice and had been subject to a possible life imprisonment. Legal authorities stated that she journeyed from California carrying a handgun, bullets, a prying tool, irritant spray, and additional gear with the intent to carry out a killing "with terrorist aims."

Upon arriving at Kavanaugh's residence, Roske called the police after observing US marshals positioned outside the house, informing the dispatcher that she was suicidal and intended to kill Justice Kavanaugh, as recorded in legal documents.

Reasons and Defendant's Statement

The prosecution indicated that Roske, who was 26 years old when taken into custody, was distressed about expected Supreme Court opinions that would end the national right to abortion and weaken gun regulations.

Speaking personally to the presiding judge during Friday's hearing, Roske apologized to Kavanaugh and his family for "the significant anxiety" she had inflicted them.

"I have been portrayed as a monster, and this tragic mistake I made will follow me for the remainder of my days," the defendant said.

Prosecution's Argument and Legal Team's Request

The government's attorneys had advocated for a incarceration term of at least 30 years, stating that Roske had planned her crime for months and was resolved to locate the residences of multiple unidentified current Supreme Court justices.

"The defendant posed a genuine danger to our governmental structure, our constitution," assistant US attorney Coreen Mao declared at the court session. She emphasized that no government figure should be afraid of being murdered at any moment for doing their job.

Roske's lawyers had requested Judge Boardman to impose a term of no more than 96 months, pointing out that she had called 911 to turn herself in and had worked with the authorities. Roske should be judged "for what she did, not for what she believed," they contended.

Broader Context of Political Violence

The court ruling occurs amid signs of rising ideologically driven attacks in the United States, including two attempted assassinations of Donald Trump during his presidential campaign last year, and the killing last month of rightwing political activist Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah.

Threats against federal judges have increased significantly since 2021, according to US Marshals Service data reviewed by Reuters last year. Some judges who have decided against Trump administration policies have encountered intimidation and targeting along with their relatives, as reported in a Reuters investigation.