Judge Sentences Kavanaugh Plotter to Eight Years, Places Him in Texas Medical Prison
Judge Deborah Boardman sentenced Nicholas Roske, who now identifies as Sophie, to eight years and assigned him to Federal Medical Center Fort Worth, a Texas facility that provides complex medical care.
Nicholas Roske, the attempted assassin of Justice Brett Kavanaugh who began identifying as a woman in September 2025, received an eight-year term from Judge Deborah Boardman, despite guidelines recommending 30 years to life. The judge repeatedly referred to Roske with female pronouns and cited his transgender identity and pre-trial confinement conditions in her reasoning. He will serve his sentence at Federal Medical Center Fort Worth, a male-only, Care Level 4 facility that the Biden administration has equipped to provide complex medical care, including gender-affirming procedures.
The BOP’s 2026 “Management of Inmates with Gender Dysphoria” policy limits new surgeries but still allows hormone therapy, and a prior injunction blocked a Trump-era ban on such treatments. Roske’s placement also diverges from the First Step Act’s 500-mile rule, which would normally keep inmates nearer to their home state.
Why it matters
The case shows how federal sentencing and prison placement are affected by evolving transgender inmate healthcare policies.
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