US Supreme Court Justices Disclose Millions In Book Earnings, Teaching Income

Four U.S. Supreme Court justices earned more than $2 million in total book payouts in 2025, according to financial disclosure reports released Monday that also detailed court members’ lucrative teaching positions and free concert tickets one received from Bad Bunny’s record label.

Eight of the nine justices disclosed their income and gifts beyond 2025, as required by some senior government officials. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito was given a 90-day grace period to file his financial disclosure report.

The filings showed judges’ foreign income, gifts and investment transactions last year. Such filings have attracted increasing attention in recent years after it was revealed that some had previously failed to report luxury travel and real estate transactions, including private jets and yachts.

Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson reported receiving a $1.18 million book advance last year from Penguin Random House, which is publishing her memoir “Lovely One” in 2024. This is on top of the approximately $2.07 million in book advance income he reported receiving from Penguin in 2024.

He also announced a $2,500 gift in the form of a painting to be hung in the bedroom of Chicago artists Paul Branton and Kristen Williams. Branton announced in his social media post last year that he gave him a portrait of justice titled “Worthy” as a gift.

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the author of children’s books “Turning Pages” and “Just Ask!” He reported receiving $88,100 in royalties from Penguin for the. Sotomayor said these amounts were net of her literary agent’s commission and that Penguin had told her “Just Shine!” He said he said he spent $7,473 to promote sales of his book.

Sotomayor also revealed that she received $4,333 worth of concert tickets from her record label ⁠Rimas Entertainment, which “provided me and guests with tickets to the concert while I was on a private trip to Puerto Rico in August 2025.”

The disclosure report did not specify which concert Sotomayor attended. Artists represented by the Puerto Rican label include rapper Bad Bunny, who was then in the midst of a series of more than 30 high-profile concerts in San Juan.

The court and Rimas did not immediately respond to requests for more information Monday.

Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who published a book titled “Listening to the Law” in 2025, reported earning $849,071 in book royalties from Javelin Group, a literary agency.

Barrett and conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh also reported earning $33,285 in teaching income from the University of Notre Dame Law School, where they are both adjunct professors.

Chief Justice ⁠John Roberts reported that he was paid $25,000 by New England Law, a private law school based in Boston. He had revealed last year that he was teaching a two-week course for the school in Galway, Ireland, in July 2024, but his compensation was not reported at the time as he was paid in February 2025.

Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas likewise reported $18,000 in teaching income from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.

Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch reported $30,380 in teaching income from George Mason University and $300,361 in book royalty income, mostly from HarperCollins. The publisher recently released a children’s book he co-wrote titled “The Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence.”