The Washington Post is reporting that an armed man was arrested early Wednesday morning near conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Maryland home. Kavanaugh, like many Supreme Court justices these days, has seen a fair share of protests around his home, especially in the wake of the leaked draft opinion that is likely to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision. Those protests led the Senate, which is unable to pass legislation to protect children from guns or help put food on the tables of families in need, to add extra security for Supreme Court justices’ family members.
NBC News reports that the man who was arrested had a knife, a gun, and pepper spray on his person. According to the news outlet, the man told law enforcement that he was planning on killing Brett Kavanaugh. The Post quotes “two people familiar with the investigation” as saying that the suspect was angry about the leaked Roe v. Wade opinion, as well as recent mass shooting events in New York, California, and Texas.
RELATED STORY: Senate makes a strong statement about who matters following peaceful protest at Kavanaugh's house
The hyper-awareness afforded to Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh’s welfare and safety is good. But it’s something that the majority of the Court, including Kavanaugh himself, seem to not want extended to most Americans. You can read a brief history of violence perpetrated against reproductive clinics and doctors here.
The news of this arrest comes as the Supreme Court is set to release a series of decisions Wednesday, possibly including the final decision on overturning decades of reproductive rights legislation. As NPR reported on Wednesday, the Court’s dubious construction—built mostly by conservative think tanks and promoted into office by minority leadership—has found itself buckling under the strain of their radically unpopular decision-making in recent years.
"I don't know how on earth the court is going to finish up its work this term," said a source close to the justices. The clerks, he explained, are sort of "the court's diplomatic corps." Especially at this time of year, they talk to each other, with the approval of their bosses, to find out how far the envelope can be pushed in this case or that one — or conversely, how can we soften language to get five justices on board. But at the moment, he noted, the clerks are terrified that their whole professional lives could be blown up, so they aren't able to do that. In short, it's a very perilous time for the Supreme Court.
The conservatives that make up a majority of the court seem to be divided between loyalty to Chief Justice John Roberts and a crew of theocratic-leaning zealots. Roberts’ possible ally on the court is Justice Clarence Thomas. Unfortunately, Thomas has shown that he is politically compromised by his wife Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, who may very well be guilty of conspiring to overthrow the government.
We talk to gun control advocate and executive director of Guns Down America, Igor Volsky on Daily Kos' The Brief podcast