Armed man is arrested near home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh

June 9, 2022

An armed man was arrested early Wednesday, June 8,  near the Maryland home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh after making threats against the Supreme Court associate justice, a spokesperson for the court said. The man was taken to the 2nd District Police Station in Bethesda, Maryland, reports The New York Times.

The spokesperson, Patricia McCabe, said the man, who was arrested around 1:50 a.m., was armed, but she did not specify what type of weapon he was carrying. The arrest was reported earlier by The Washington Post. In a statement, the F.B.I. said that it was aware of the arrest, and that it was working with law enforcement agencies.

Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland said in a statement that he had asked Attorney General Merrick Garland in May to increase security outside the justices’ homes.

“I call on leaders in both parties in Washington to strongly condemn these actions in no uncertain terms,” Governor Hogan, a Republican, said. “It is vital to our constitutional system that the justices be able to carry out their duties without fear of violence against them and their families.”

There have been protests outside the home of Justice Kavanaugh and those of the other justices since a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion was published last month—suggesting that the justices are poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing the right to an abortion.

In a bulletin issued on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said that after the publication of the leaked draft opinion, advocates for and against abortion rights have “encouraged violence” on public forums, “including against government, religious, and reproductive healthcare personnel and facilities, as well as those with opposing ideologies.”

Research contact: @nytimes