Justice Sonia Sotomayor's staff has prodded institutions that have hosted her to buy her books, works that have earned her at least $3.7 million thus far, the Associated Press reported. Sotomayor's book tour begs questions about SCOTUS ethics:
In her case, the documents reveal repeated examples of taxpayer-funded court staff performing tasks for the justice's book ventures, which workers in other branches of government are barred from doing. But when it comes to promoting her literary career, Sotomayor is free to do what other government officials cannot becausedoes not have a formal code of conduct, leaving the nine justices to largely write and enforce their own rules.
The documents obtained by AP show that the justices’ conduct spans their conservative-liberal split. Besides book sales, appearances by the justices were used in hopes of raising money at schools, which often invited major contributors to the events. Justices also lent the allure of their high office to partisan activity.
It was not an isolated push. As Sotomayor prepared for commencement weekend at the University of California, Davis law school, her staff pitched officials there on buying copies of signed books in connection with the event. Before a visit to the University of Wisconsin, the staff suggested a book signing.
“I have never believed that Supreme Court justices should write books to supplement their judicial incomes,” said Luttig, who was considered for the Supreme Court by President George W. Bush. “The potential for promotion of the individual justices over the Court at the reputational expense of the Court as an institution, as well as the appearance of such, is unavoidable.”
Sotomayor, however, continues to earn royalties — at least $400,000 since 2019 — from sales of her children’s literature, including “Just Ask!,” her second best-selling book, which was the promotional focus of the 2019 event held in Portland, emails and records show. “Please also let them know that they can attend the signing line to meet the Justice even if they are not able to attend the event,” Le wrote in an Aug. 26, 2019, email.
“Justice Sotomayor’s Judicial Assistant has worked with the Justice’s publisher to ensure compliance with these standards, and at no time have attendees been required to buy a book in order to attend an event,” the court statement read. “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.
When university officials mistakenly thought they might be missing 20 boxes of books they had ordered,, writing, “I literally prepped the boxes and had my aides count the books before signing. I even have a spreadsheet noting how many books were signed each day.”
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