The man wanted to kill conservative judge Brett Kavanaugh to prevent him from speaking out in favor of an extension of the right to carry a weapon.
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The arrest of an armed and threatening man near the home of a conservative justice of the Supreme Court of the United States has further increased the tension on Wednesday June 8 around the high court, which is preparing to render explosive decisions on abortion and firearms. The individual was arrested in the middle of the night, in Chevy Chase, an affluent suburb in northern Washington, near the home of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and placed in detention.
“The man was armed and had made threats against the magistrate”, Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said in a short statement. The 20-year-old told investigators he was angry with the Supreme Court over a proposed abortion ruling and a deadly shooting at a Texas school. Convinced that Judge Kavanaugh supports an extension of the right to bear arms, he explained that he had “wanted to give meaning to his life” by killing him.
The Supreme Court has been in the midst of a political storm since a draft judgment leaked in early May suggesting it is ready to bury its landmark 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision in which it acknowledged women’s right to abortion. Shortly after the revelation, a security barrier was erected around the white marble building that houses his work on Capitol Hill, where protesters have regularly gathered in recent weeks. A small motorcade also marched in May between the homes of Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts, a move then criticized by the White House for which the judges “should be able to do their job without fear for their personal safety”.
The Supreme Court must also rule on another divisive subject: the carrying of arms. Called to comment on a century-old New York law, she could affirm that Americans have a right to carry a firearm outside their home and thus complicate the efforts of states that are trying to limit their movement in spaces. public.
Through his spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, US President Joe Biden has “strongly condemned the actions” of this armed individual. The “threats of violence” and the “Attempts to intimidate judges have no place in our society”she added.