Brett Kavanaugh - live: Nicholas Roske in court for attempted murder of Supreme Court Justice over Roe v Wade

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the armed threat made against US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

An armed man was arrested near the Maryland home of US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, officials have confirmed to The Independent.

A criminal complaint filed in US District Court alleges that a California man named Nicholas John Roske was armed with pistol and two magazines with ammunition, a knife, pepper spray, zip ties and other tools like a crow bar and duct tape when he was taken into custody at 1.50am on 8 June.

The suspect allegedly called an emergency line and reported “having suicidal thoughts” and considered plans to “kill” a member of the Supreme Court, according to the complaint.

He was still on the telephone with the emergency dispatch call taker when he was arrested.

Alex Woodward has the details.

President Joe Biden’s administration has condemned threats of violence and intimidation against members of the US Supreme Court and other public officials following the arrest of a suspected gunman near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement provided to Fox News that the president condemns the alleged actions of the suspect and “is grateful to law enforcement for quickly taking him into custody.”

“As the president has consistently made clear, public officials – including judges – must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety or that of their families,” according to the statement. “And any violence, threats of violence, or attempts to intimidate justices have no place in our society.”

The president supports legislation to fund increased security for the Supreme Court and justices, the statement said.

Alex Woodward has more.

A federal criminal complaint has been filed against Nicholas John Roske, a 26-year-old from California who allegedly threatened to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his home in Maryland on Wednesday morning.

Mr Roske is due in federal court at 3pm ET on Wednesday.

In addition anger about the the forthcoming ruling on abortion in Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Supreme Court death threat suspect Nicholas John Roske allegedly told a detective that he believed Justice Kavanaugh would side with “Second Amendment decisions that would loosen gun control laws,” according to a federal criminal complaint.

In the coming days, the court is expected to rule in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc v Bruen, which will answer whether the Second Amendment “allows the government to prohibit ordinary law-abiding citizens from carrying handguns outside the home for self-defense.”

Mr Roske was armed with a Glock pistol and two magazines at the time of his arrest, according to the complaint.

Ever since an unprecedented leak of the Supreme Court’s draft decision to overturn Roe v Wade, conservatives have been warning that the Justices are facing increased security risks.

Scores of protestors have appeared periodically outside the homes of the high court bench’s conservative majority, who appear poised to end the constitutional right to an abortion.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has called for a lie-detector test and other measures to be put in place to find who leaked the decision.

A California man charged with the attempted murder of US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has been named as Nicholas John Roske.

Mr Roske was arrested overnight on 8 June after he called 911 near Justice Kavanaugh’s Maryland home to say he was suicidal and travelled to kill the conservative justice, according to a federal criminal complaint.

He was arrested at 1.50am armed with a Glock 17 handgun with two magazines and ammunition, a knife, pepper spray, a hammer, a screwdriver, a crow bar, zip ties and duct tape, according to investigators.

Mr Roske, 26, from Simi Valley, reportedly told police he was angry at Justice Kavanaugh about the leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would overturn constitutional protections for abortion rights, as well as a recent school shooting massacre in Uvalde, Texas.

Here’s what we know about the alleged gunman.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is calling on House Democrats to pass a bill that would strengthen security for Supreme Court justices and their family, after an armed man reportedly threatened to shoot Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Monday.

“House Democrats must pass this bill and they need to do it today,” Senator McConnell said on Wednesday. “No more fiddling around with this, they need to pass it today …before the sun sets.”

Here’s more info about the proposal.

The gun debate in the US is reaching a fever pitch, following a string of tragic shootings in May and June across the country.

Inside the halls of power, a bipartisan group of Senators are working on legislation that could be the first major set of new gun laws in three decades, while on the streets, a California man threatened the life of US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, reportedly in part over the justice’s stance on guns.

What will come of this violent moment, when so many different people have guns on their mind—and in their hands?

Our DC correspondent Eric Garcia has reason to believe this time will be different, and real change may in fact occur. In his latest column for our Voices section, he writes:

Here’s why I’m optimistic about this time round, when I never was before. First, we have a more liberal Democratic trifecta. One reason why even Joe Manchin and Senator Pat Toomey’s legislation to expand background checks died was because of the filibuster. But even if it had survived a Senate vote, Republicans controlled the House of Representatives at the time, and it likely would have faced the same death as immigration reform (the other pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in Washington) faced in 2013 when it never went to a vote in the House. Republican control of the House and Senate during the first two years of Donald Trump’s presidency meant there would be little action for fear of angering the base.

Here’s the full article.

The California man who allegedly threatened Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Monday morning has been charged with attempted murder and is expected in court on Wednesday afternoon.

Here are the charging documents, courtesy of legal analyst Seamus Hughes.