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A individual from the state of California who admitted to attempting to assassinate US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 was handed a prison term on Friday to eight years and one month in federal prison.

Sentencing Proceedings and Judge's Remarks

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

Judge Boardman labeled Roske's offense as "absolutely reprehensible," but added that the accused displayed sincere regret, had a clean history, and was unlikely to reoffend.

Case Background and Guilty Plea

Roske pleaded guilty in April to the charge of trying to kill a justice and had faced a possible life imprisonment. Legal authorities stated that she journeyed from California equipped with a handgun, ammunition, a crowbar, pepper spray, and additional gear with the purpose to commit murder "with terrorist aims."

Upon reaching Kavanaugh's residence, Roske contacted the police after observing US marshals positioned outside the house, informing the operator that she was having suicidal thoughts and intended to kill Justice Kavanaugh, as documented in court filings.

Reasons and Defendant's Statement

Prosecutors indicated that Roske, who was 26 at the time when arrested, was upset about expected Supreme Court opinions that would eliminate the national right to abortion and roll back gun regulations.

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

"People have depicted me as a monster, and this tragic mistake I made will follow me for the rest of my life," the defendant said.

Government's Stance and Defense's Plea

The government's attorneys had recommended a prison sentence of no less than three decades, arguing that Roske had premeditated her actions for months and was resolved to find the addresses of multiple unnamed sitting Supreme Court justices.

"The defendant represented a very real threat to our system of government, our founding document," federal prosecutor Coreen Mao asserted at the court session. She stated that no public official should be afraid of being killed at any moment for performing their duties.

Roske's lawyers had requested Judge Boardman to sentence no more than 96 months, pointing out that she had called 911 to turn herself in and had cooperated the law enforcement. Roske should be sentenced "for what she did, not for what she believed," they argued.

Broader Context of Ideologically Motivated Attacks

The sentencing takes place amid indicators of rising political violence in the US, including two attempted assassinations of Donald Trump during his election bid last year, and the killing last month of conservative figure Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah.

Menaces against US judiciary members have increased significantly since 2021, according to official statistics analyzed by Reuters last year. Some judges who have decided against Trump administration directives have encountered threats and targeting along with their families, as reported in a Reuters inquiry.