Protesters Descend on Amy Coney Barrett’s Home One Day after Kavanaugh Assassination Plot By Brittany Bernstein
Protesters gathered on Thursday evening outside Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett’s home, where she lives with her husband and seven children, according to reports.
The protests, as reported by George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, come one day after a California man allegedly attempted to assassinate Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Early Wednesday morning, police detained 26-year-old Nicholas John Roske after he exited a taxi in front of Kavanaugh’s home in Maryland wearing black clothes, according to a criminal complaint. The man told authorities he called 911 because he was having suicidal thoughts. He told a dispatcher he had come “from California to kill a specific” Supreme Court justice, the affidavit said.
Authorities found a Glock 17 handgun with two magazines and ammunition, a tactical knife, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, a screwdriver, and other gear in Roske’s backpack.
He told authorities that he was motivated by the leaked majority draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that would overturn Roe v. Wade. He said he was contemplating “how to give his life purpose” when he decided to kill Kavanaugh after finding his address on the Internet, according to the complaint.
Leftist group Ruth Sent Us, along with Vigil for Democracy, created a Google Maps graphic called “Extremist Justices” last month, pinning what it claims are the home addresses of Justices Barrett, Kavanaugh, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Roberts.
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday called on House Democrats to pass “commonsense” legislation to enhance protection for Supreme Court justices after the foiled assassination attempt.
McConnell responded to the Kavanaugh news on Wednesday, saying, “If these reports are correct, an assassination attempt against a sitting justice — or something close to it. This is exactly, exactly the kind of event that many feared that the terrible breach of the Court’s rules and norms could fuel.
“This is exactly, exactly why the Senate passed legislation very shortly after the leak to enhance the police protection for justices and their families,” he added.
The Senate passed a bill on May 9 to provide around-the-clock security to the families of Supreme Court justices after the Dobbs draft leak sparked protests outside the conservative justices’ homes. While the measure had bipartisan support in the Senate, it has stalled in the Democrat-controlled House as some Democrats have argued the enhanced protections should extend not only to the justices, but to others who work within the Court.
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