Supreme Court justices reported Friday that they are receiving large advances of money for writing books about themselves or the law, often soon after arriving at the courthouse.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson reported that she received an advance of $893,750 last year for a memoir she plans to write titled “Lovely One.”
His publisher said the book will be out later this year and tells of his family's “rise from segregation to confirmation to America's highest court in the span of a generation.” She also reported receiving four concert tickets valued at $3,700 from Beyoncé.
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh reported receiving an advance of $340,000 for what was described as a “legal brief” he is working on.
And Justice Neil M. Gorsuch said he received $250,000 from publisher Harper Collins for a book he is writing with a former employee.
Several judges in recent years have reported significant advances in books.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett reported two years ago that she received a $425,000 advance to write a book on the law that is still in progress.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor has earned about $4 million in advances and royalties from several books, including “My Beloved World,” a memoir she agreed to write a year after joining the court in 2009.
Sotomayor also came under fire last year for using court staff to boost sales of her books at public appearances.
In this year's disclosure report, Sotomayor said she had received $86,000 in book royalties, as well as $1,879 for doing a voiceover on the children's television show “Alma's Way.”
Judges, who earn $298,500 a year in salary, are limited on how much they can earn in outside income, such as through teaching, but there is no limit on how much they can earn writing books.
The trend of judges writing memoirs dates back to 2002, when Judge Sandra Day O'Connor published “Lazy B,” which chronicled her childhood on her family's cattle ranch in Arizona.
Five years later, Justice Clarence Thomas published “My Grandfather's Son,” his memoir about growing up poor in Georgia and the role his grandfather played in shaping his life.
Thomas has been widely criticized for taking lavish, undisclosed vacations paid for by billionaire Harlan Crow, and on Friday issued a revised report for 2019, acknowledging that he had accepted room and board in Indonesia and at Bohemian Grove in Northern California that Crow paid for. .
Thomas did not reveal the total cost of the trip or how he got there.
Both trips had been revealed last year by ProPublica.
Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. did not present his report but requested a six-month extension to present it.
Alito, along with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Elena Kagan, are the only members of the court who have not published books or received advances to write one.
Gabe Roth, executive director of the watchdog group Fix the Court, has consistently criticized judges receiving gifts, including trips and free club memberships. But he said he wasn't worried about big book deals.
“I don't have a problem with that,” he said. “They are public servants and have inspiring life stories, so I don't see anything wrong with that.
