WASHINGTON − Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made more than $2 million last year for her best-selling memoir, according to the latest round of financial disclosure reports for the justices which became public on June 17.
Jackson’s book, “Lovely One,” made the New York Time’s bestseller list when it came out last year amid an extensive publicity tour for the court’s newest member.
That’s much more than the $250,000 in royalties Justice Neil Gorsuch reported earning last year for a book on the law he co-authored with a former clerk.
But Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett could report eye-popping figures in the future for her forthcoming memoir, which reportedly earned a $2 million advance.
Barrett’s book, “Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution,” is coming out in September.
The annual disclosure reports cover the preceding year of financial activity.
As is his usual practice, Justice Samuel Alito received a 90-day extension to file his annual report.
Jackson, in last year’s report, disclosed she’d initially received a $893,750 advance for “Lovely One.”
More: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson can throw a punch. Literally.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor continues to receive royalties − $73,944 last year – from children’s books she’s written. And she received a $60,000 advance from Penguin Random House for “Just Shine,” another children’s book to be published in September.
In May, multiple justices recused themselves from deciding whether to accept an appeal involving alleged plagiarism in books published by Penguin Random House. That meant there were not enough justices to consider the appeal, which left in place a lower court’s ruling dismissing the lawsuit.
Other outside earnings and travel
In addition to income from their writings, several justices reported outside earnings from teaching.
Barrett and Justice Brett Kavanaugh each received $31,815 from Notre Dame Law School.
Gorsuch received $30,379.91 from George Mason University.
Travel the justices reported, without detailing their cost, included:
Trip to Ireland for Chief Justice John Roberts, where he owns a share in a cottage, to teach a class on the Supreme Court.
Trip to California for Barrett to speak at Pepperdine University.
Trips to Panama, Switzerland, Austria, Hawaii and other states for Sotomayor for legal discussions and other events.
Trips to Germany and Portugal for Gorsuch for educational programs and visits to several states to discuss his book.
More than a dozen trips around the country for Jackson to discuss her memoir.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson earned more than $2 million for memoir
