From assassination plot to prison: Sophie Roske’s case highlights mental health, gender care, and political accountability.
by Terry Hansen
Guest Commentary
Sophie Roske, a transgender woman, was sentenced to 97 months in prison for her plot to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Prosecutors sought a minimum sentence of 30 years.
Judge Deborah Boardman explained that Roske voluntarily abandoned her assassination plan, expressed remorse, had no prior criminal record, and was experiencing a mental health crisis.
Boardman also questioned whether Roske would receive adequate mental health treatment in prison, citing President Trump’s executive order banning gender-affirming care for federal inmates.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and conservative media outlets like the New York Post and National Review have expressed outrage over the 8-year sentence.
Guest Commentary
Yet by their standards, the scores of January 6 rioters who breached the Capitol while chanting "Hang Mike Pence!" should also have been sentenced to at least 30 years in prison. After all, they are domestic terrorists who attempted to execute the Vice President. Instead, they have all been pardoned by President Trump.
Appallingly, in an interview with Jonathan Karl of ABC News, Trump actually defended the January 6 rioters' "Hang Mike Pence!" chants.
How can anyone claim to oppose political violence while supporting a person who pardoned January 6 rioters who assaulted police officers and publicly defended their violent chants?
Terry Hansen is a retired educator who writes frequently about climate change. He lives in Milwaukee, WI.
