Another Supreme Court justice is being scrutinized over how they make money off the bench. An investigation by The Associated Press reveals Justice Sonia Sotomayor has made millions of dollars from the books she has written. The scrutiny surrounds how those books were sold.
According to the AP, Sotomayor’s staff pushed colleges, universities and libraries to buy her books in bulk for guest signings and speeches. The allegation brings into question what is considered ethical behavior by a Supreme Court justice.
Sotomayor is the latest member of the high court to be investigated for questionable ethics decisions that critics blame on a lack of restriction.
According to the investigation, Sotomayor’s court staffers were found to be deeply involved in helping the justice promote her literary career by organizing speaking engagements that sold her books for personal financial gain. This is typically prohibited for members of Congress and other government officials, but is not for members of the Supreme Court.
Through 100 public record requests, The Associated Press found that Sotomayor’s staffers repeatedly pressed event planners and businesses to purchase more books before an engagement for a higher pre-order.
In 2019, staffers told a Portland library that the 250 books it ordered wouldn’t be enough. They suggested the library purchase 1,000 copies of her children’s book “Just Ask!”.
Similar incidents took place before speaking engagements at the University of California and the University of Wisconsin. According to the AP, staffers suggested to school officials that they order Sotomayor books that could be sold at the event.
In 2017 at Clemson University, officials offered to buy 60 signed copies ahead of an appearance by the justice, but they were told by Sotomayor staffers that most schools order around 400. And in 2018, Michigan State spent more than $100,000 on signed Sotomayor books.
The Associated Press said it reached out to the Supreme Court to question whether the book sales were ethically sound. The high court responded “yes.”
“Judicial ethics guidance suggests that a judge may sign copies of his or her work, which may also be available for sale, but there should be no requirement or suggestion that attendees are required to purchase books in order to attend. Asking whether attendees were reminded that they must either buy or bring a book in order to enter a signing line at an event would in no way conflict with the standard outlined above,” the answer from the Supreme Court stated.
The Associated Press said it wasn’t just Sotomayor who leveraged publicly sponsored travel to boost book sales, but it said her staff was more forceful and successful than others. The ethical standards of Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have also been scrutinized in recent reports.
