The Supreme Court said Wednesday that an armed man who made threats against Justice Brett Kavanaugh was arrested near the justice’s house in Maryland.
The man was arrested about 1:50 a.m., court spokesperson Patricia McCabe said in an email.
The California man, in his 20s, was armed with a gun and a knife, according to a law enforcement official. The man, whose identity has not been released, arrived in a taxi early in the morning and told law enforcement officers he wanted to kill Kavanaugh, the official said.
The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The Washington Post initially reported the arrest, quoting sources who said the man also was carrying burglary tools. He told police he was upset by a leaked draft opinion suggesting the court is about to overrule Roe v. Wade, the court’s landmark abortion case, the Post reported. He was also said to be upset over recent mass shootings, according to the newspaper.
The justices have been provided round-the-clock security at their homes amid concerns about violence following the court’s ultimate decision.
There have been protests at Kavanaugh’s house in a Maryland suburb just outside the District of Columbia, and at the homes of other justices, as well as demonstrations at the court, where a security fence rings the building and nearby streets have been closed.
