Supreme Court justices are raking in millions from book deals, proving the pen might be mightier than the judicial robe.
The Hill reported that the annual financial disclosures for 2024, released on Tuesday, unveiled a staggering sum of money flowing to justices through book advances and royalties, with some numbers that could make even a Wall Street tycoon blink.
Leading the literary cash parade is Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who secured a jaw-dropping advance of nearly $2.07 million from Penguin Random House for her memoir “Lovely One,” published in September.
Not content with just the advance, Jackson also pocketed almost $894,000 in book payments the prior year, showing she’s no stranger to turning pages into profit.
Her nationwide book tour, reimbursed by her publisher for over a dozen stops through the end of last year and continuing into 2025, raises eyebrows about how much time a justice can spend on the road instead of the bench.
While her hustle is impressive, one wonders if the courtroom is getting shortchanged for bookstore signings—call it a constitutional conflict of interest, perhaps?
Justice Neil Gorsuch isn’t far behind, reporting $250,000 in royalties for his 2024 release “Over Ruled” from HarperCollins, alongside a modest $259.95 for an earlier work on assisted suicide and euthanasia.
His consistent payouts, mirroring sums from recent years, suggest a steady side gig—nothing wrong with that, but shouldn’t the law be the main act?
Then there’s Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who nabbed a $60,000 advance and nearly $74,000 in royalties from Penguin Random House for her children’s book series, with a new title, “Just Shine,” set for September.
Even retired justices are getting in on the action, with Stephen Breyer reporting over $130,000 in book payments for a work defending his legal philosophy.
Retired Justice Anthony Kennedy pocketed nearly $32,000 and has a one-volume memoir slated for release on Oct. 14 with Simon & Schuster, scaled back from an original two-volume plan.
Stepping down from the bench doesn’t mean stepping away from the bank—retirement looks pretty lucrative when you’ve got a publisher on speed dial.
Looking ahead, Justice Amy Coney Barrett is set to publish a book with Penguin Random House on Sept. 9, having already disclosed $425,000 in royalties a few years back from a reported $2 million advance.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh is also planning a legal memoir with the conservative Center Street imprint, following $340,000 in royalties disclosed in 2022, while federal law conveniently exempts book earnings from the roughly $33,000 cap on outside income.
Meanwhile, scrutiny mounts as a 2023 Associated Press investigation revealed Sotomayor’s staff encouraged bulk book purchases during her visits to colleges and libraries, and five justices, including Jackson and Sotomayor, recused themselves from a copyright lawsuit last month, likely due to ties with Penguin Random House’s parent company—coincidence or conflict?