Washington
CNN
—
Three Supreme Court justices on Tuesday reported hefty earnings from books they’ve recently published, a glimpse into the lucrative world of authorship that provides members of the bench with additional income.
Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to sit on the high court, reported receiving just over $2 million from Penguin Random House for a memoir she published last year. The appointee of former President Joe Biden, who joined the court in 2022, has previously reported nearly $900,000 in earnings for the book.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, another member of the court’s liberal wing, and Neil Gorsuch, an appointee of President Donald Trump, each reported six-figure totals for 2024 for books they’ve authored.
The income the justices made for their off-bench writings emerged in the annual financial disclosure forms that require members of the judiciary to publicly disclose their personal financial interests over the past year and detail income, investments, gifts and spousal salaries.
The reports have been closely watched for years, but especially so recently given the focus on ethics at the Supreme Court and questions about outside travel and private jet flights. This year, most of the justices did not note reportable gifts and much of the travel appeared to be limited to lectures at law schools and book promotions across the country.
But there were eye-popping figures on book income.
In this annual report, Jackson reported the greatest sum. Her memoir, “Lovely One,” became a New York Times bestseller last year and she took part in an extended promotional tour.
Sotomayor, who has long been among the court’s most prolific authors since joining the bench in 2009, reported nearly $134,000 in book-related income last year. That includes a $60,000 in advance income for a children’s book, “Just Shine!” set to publish later this year.
Gorsuch, meanwhile, reported receiving a significant sum from publishers last year in “royalty income” – a little over $250,000 in total. That’s the same amount that he noted on his report last year. Gorsuch published a book last summer titled “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law,” in which he railed against government regulations.
Supreme Court justices, who earn more than $300,000 a year, are barred from receiving more than about $30,000 in outside income annually. But book revenue is exempt from that policy, creating an incentive for the nine to put pen to paper beyond their opinions.
Conservative Justice Samuel Alito asked for additional time to file his annual report, as has been his practice over the years.
As in past years, several of the justices reported international travel. Sotomayor’s itinerary was perhaps most notable, logging trips to Switzerland, Panama and Austria.
The court’s senior liberal took part in a question-and-answer session with judges in Panama City in early 2024, paid for a local university. Weeks later, she traveled to Hawaii to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the law school at the University of Hawaii.
In July, Sotomayor traveled to Vienna to take part in a “law leadership conference,” organized by New York University.
Gorsuch listed trips to Germany and Portugal in July for “educational” programs, paid for by the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law and by George Mason University, respectively.
Chief Justice John Roberts taught a course on the Supreme Court in Galway, Ireland, in July, paid for by New England Law.
But most of the justices reported no international travel, and a limited number of domestic trips. Several of the court’s conservatives, including Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, took part in events at Notre Dame Law School. Barrett also traveled to Malibu, California, for a lecture organized by Pepperdine University.
Justice Clarence Thomas, who in recent years has been the focus of much of the criticism from ethics watchdogs, reported no trips or gifts. Thomas disclosed a life insurance policy he said was inadvertently omitted from prior reports. The policy, he said, was originally purchased in 2001 and that “confusion arose on whether the policy needed to be disclosed.”
