26-year-old man charged with attempted murder of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh

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Brett Kavanaugh (2018): One of six conservative justices on the US Supreme Court

Photo: Jonathan Ernst / REUTERS

A gunman arrested outside the home of conservative Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has been charged with the attempted murder of a US judge.

According to the prosecutor, Nicholas R. had a gun, a knife and pepper spray with him when he was arrested.

The 26-year-old was therefore spotted by two police officers in front of Kavanaugh's house on Wednesday night.

He then went in a different direction.

Shortly thereafter, according to the investigators, R. called 911 and said he was having suicidal thoughts.

He traveled from California to kill Kavanaugh.

The police arrested him a little later.

According to FBI officials, the man said he was angry about a pending Supreme Court decision on abortion rights and the gun attack at a Texas school in May.

The man assumed that Kavanaugh wanted to represent decisions that would further relax gun laws in the United States.

The Supreme Court is set to make a decision that could overturn gun control laws in New York.

If convicted, R. faces up to 20 years in prison.

US President Joe Biden "strongly condemned" the threats against Kavanaugh, the White House said.

The incident came ahead of a much-anticipated Supreme Court ruling on abortion rights.

A draft judgment leaked in early May shows that the conservative majority of judges at the court are close to delivering the landmark Roe v.

Wade” to overturn the 1973 right to abortion in the USA.

States would then have a free hand to ban abortions or drastically restrict access to abortions.

The court's final decision is expected later this month.

After the draft judgment became known, there had already been protests in front of the houses of several conservative Supreme Court judges, including Kavanaugh, who was appointed by ex-President Donald Trump.

The security measures in front of the judges' houses and in front of the courthouse itself were then increased.

Kavanaugh is one of six US Supreme Court justices considered conservative.

They face three more liberal judges.

bbr/AFP/Reuters