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Forbes
Forbes
7 Jun 2024


Supreme Court Kavanaugh

Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson reported the most in book income for 2023.

AP Photo/Eric Gay

Writing books, it seems, can be more lucrative than writing law. The two least-wealthy Supreme Court justices—Ketanji Brown Jackson and Brett Kavanaugh—reported book income greater than their $298,500 judicial salaries in 2023, according to personal financial disclosures released Friday.

Jackson saw the most outside income of any justice in 2023, reporting a payment of $893,750 from Penguin Random House for a book advance. The sum is the first part of a deal reportedly worth $3 million in total; her memoir, “Lovely One,” is slated for release in September. Additionally, Jackson disclosed a $3,712 gift of four concert tickets from Beyoncé, the centimillionaire pop star who also gifted tickets to vice president Kamala Harris last year.

Kavanaugh, too, reported a hefty check: $340,000 from Regnery Publishing, which specializes in conservative books. It’s unknown how large the full deal, first reported Thursday by Axios, actually is, but it apparently has been moved to Hachette’s Center Street imprint following Regenery’s acquisition. The still-untitled work is expected in 2025 or 2026.

The pair have the most to gain from book deals—Forbes last estimated the net worths of Jackson and Kavanaugh at $2 million each, the lowest of all the justices.

But they aren’t alone in earning book writing income. Neil Gorsuch, who is worth an estimated $8 million, reported $250,000 from HarperCollins. “Over Ruled,” which Gorsuch coauthored with his former clerk (and which also earned him a payment of $250,000 in 2021), is set to come out in August. And Sonia Sotomayor, who has written several books since joining the Court—and generated criticism for reportedly using Court staff to push sales—said she earned about $87,000 from Penguin for royalties in 2023. The first Latina justice, Sotomayor is worth $5 million, per Forbes’ last estimate.

Amy Coney Barrett, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh all reported income from teaching in 2023 as well. Gorsuch taught at George Mason’s law school, while the other two went to Notre Dame’s, where Barrett, worth an estimated $4 million, worked for years before being appointed to the judiciary by former president Donald Trump in 2017.

All the outside income comes as the Court faces mounting pressure over potential conflicts of interest and ethical violations. On his disclosure released Friday, Clarence Thomas (worth an estimated $4 million) amended his previous disclosures to include trips paid for by Harlan Crow, a wealthy benefactor. Samuel Alito (worth an estimated $10 million, the second most on the Court), who has also received scrutiny for plush trips and for flags connected to the January 6th attack on the Capitol, did not release a disclosure Friday morning. A Court spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

No amount of teaching, book deals or gifts will bring any of the associate justices anywhere close to their boss’ level of wealth. Chief Justice John Roberts, who reported no outside income himself in 2023 but whose wife works for an elite legal recruiting firm, is worth an estimated $25 million, nearly 40% of the total wealth of the entire Supreme Court as of Forbes’ last tally in March.