WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson received more than $2 million last year for her best-selling memoir, “Lovely One,” according to her annual financial disclosure, released Tuesday.
Jackson’s outside income exceeded that of her court colleagues combined, the reports showed. Justice Neil Gorsuch reported $250,000 for the book he published last year, while Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she received $134,000 in royalties and an advance for a new book due out next year.
The annual reports paint a partial picture of the justices’ finances, as they are not required to reveal the value of their homes or, for those who are married, their spouses’ salary. Their investments also are reported in ranges.
The justices earn a salary of $303,600 for their work on the court, except for Chief Justice John Roberts, who is paid $317,500.
“Lovely One” was published by Random House in September and briefly topped the New York Times bestseller list. Jackson, the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court, signed the contract soon after taking her seat in 2022 and last year reported receiving a nearly $900,000 advance. She undertook an extensive speaking tour to promote the book and reported 15 paid trips across the country last summer and fall.
The nearly $3 million she has received so far rivals the contract Sotomayor signed for her memoir, “My Beloved World,” first published in 2013. Sotomayor, who also has written several children’s books, is writing a new one called “Just Shine! How to Be a Better You” inspired by her late mother, People magazine has reported.
Gorsuch’s latest book, “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law,” was published in August by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh also have book deals.
Barrett, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch reported a bit more than $30,000 each for one- or two-week law school teaching gigs. Barrett and Kavanaugh taught at the University of Notre Dame’s law school in South Bend, Indiana. Each has a child attending college there and Barrett was on the law school faculty before becoming a judge. Gorsuch taught in George Mason University’s summer law program in Porto, Portugal.
Roberts reported teaching a two-week course in Galway, Ireland in July. He said he wasn’t paid until February. His compensation will be on the report that’s released a year from now.
The only justice whose report was not available Tuesday is Samuel Alito, who received an extension for up to 90 days, as he does most years.
