Police: Armed man arrested near Brett Kavanaugh’s home, threatened to kill SCOTUS justice

Jun 08, 2022

Shannon Longworth Reporter

By Shannon Longworth (Reporter), Chris Field (Senior Editor)

Police arrested an armed California man near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home in Maryland, according to the Washington Post. People close to the investigation told the paper that the man wanted to kill the conservative justice.

Authorities took the man, who is in his mid-20s, into custody around 1:50 a.m. Wednesday in Chevy Chase near the justice’s house. Police said he had a gun, a knife and pepper spray, NBC News reported, and told them he was there to kill Kavanaugh.

Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe confirmed the reports in a statement.

“At approximately 1:50 a.m. today, a man was arrested near Justice Kavanaugh’s residence,” McCabe told reporters, adding, “The man was armed and made threats against Justice Kavanaugh. He was transported to Montgomery County Police 2nd District.”

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said both the U.S. Marshalls and the Montgomery County Police were involved in the arrest after receiving a tip from an unnamed source.

The Washington Post also reported that sources said evidence points to the man being upset about the leaked Supreme Court draft option in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that indicated the high court might overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that created a constitutional right to have an abortion. The sources also told the paper the suspect was upset over recent mass shootings.

This is not the first time Kavanaugh and his neighbors have been negatively impacted by people upset over the leaked Dobbs draft. Last month, protesters converged on the homes of Kavanaugh and other conservative-leaning justices following the leak.

The final Dobbs ruling is expected to be released in the next few weeks as the court wraps up its current term.

Shannon Longworth: The California man who’d allegedly made threats against supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh is now in police custody.
He was arrested earlier this morning near Kavanaugh’s home.
Police say the man showed up in a taxi and told authorities he wanted to kill Kavanaugh.
He had a gun, a knife, and burglary tools on him.
The Washington Post reported the man told police he was upset by the recent leaked Supreme Court draft.
That opinion suggested the court is set to overrule Roe v. Wade.
The man was also reportedly upset over recent mass shootings.
Justices have been given round-the-clock security at their homes amid concerns about violence once the final opinion is released.
The arrest comes just weeks after the Senate passed a bill beefing up said security.
Sen. Mitch McConnell | (R) Kentucky: “This is common sense noncontroversial legislation that passed in this chamber in this chamber unanimously. But House Democrats have spent weeks blocking. House Democrats must pass this bill and they need to do it today.”