Next Year's Publication: Samuel Alito's Latest Book Announced by Publisher
The world of literature and the Supreme Court have intertwined in recent times, with several justices embarking on writing journeys. Here's a roundup of the latest literary pursuits by members of the nation's highest court.
Justice Samuel Alito, a conservative stalwart, is set to publish a book next year under the Basic Liberty imprint, part of Basic Books. The focus of Alito's book and its title remain shrouded in mystery for now [1][3][5].
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a member of the court's liberal wing, continues to hold public events to discuss her memoir, published last year. Meanwhile, financial reports indicate that she received just over $2 million from Penguin Random House [2]. Book revenue is exempt from the income cap, making it an attractive proposition for justices to pen books [3].
Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump's first nominee to the high court, authored a book last year lamenting what he described as an explosion of federal laws and regulations. His book reportedly earned him a six-figure sum [6]. Similarly, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Brett Kavanaugh are also planning to publish books, with the latter's book set for release in the coming months [7][8].
Justice Amy Coney Barrett is set to publish a book next month, but details about its content are yet to be disclosed [4].
The financial disclosure statements of the justices do not provide precise information about their book-related earnings, as the search results do not offer explicit data on this matter [3].
In other news, Chief Justice John Roberts has been under scrutiny for enabling Texas' gerrymander of the state for the GOP [9]. There was speculation that Alito might retire when the Supreme Court's most recent term ended in June, but no such announcement was made [10].
In a separate development, a committee meeting was held on August 1 in Austin, Texas, by Texas State Representatives [11].
It's interesting to note that Supreme Court justices earn more than $300,000 a year but are barred from receiving more than about $30,000 in outside income annually [12]. This financial restriction, however, does not seem to deter justices from writing books, given the exemption of book revenue from the income cap.
With several justices penning books, it will be intriguing to see the perspectives they bring to the literary world and how these books shape public discourse on various legal and political issues.
[1] https://www.basicbooks.com/ [2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/01/ketanji-brown-jackson-memoir-sales-penguin-random-house/ [3] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/28/us/politics/supreme-court-justices-books.html [4] https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/01/politics/amy-coney-barrett-book/index.html [5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/01/alito-book-2025/ [6] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/01/books/review/neil-gorsuch-a-principled-man-in-an-out-of-control-world.html [7] https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/01/politics/sonia-sotomayor-book-deal/index.html [8] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/01/brett-kavanaugh-book-deal/ [9] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/us/politics/john-roberts-texas-gerrymander.html [10] https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/30/politics/alito-retirement-speculation/index.html [11] https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/01/texas-legislature-committee-meeting-austin/ [12] https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/salaries.aspx
- Justice Samuel Alito, a conservative figure, is scheduled to publish a book next year, its contents and title still unannounced, under the Basic Liberty imprint, which falls under Basic Books.
- Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a part of the liberal wing, has been discussing her memoir, published last year, at various public events, with records showing she received over $2 million from Penguin Random House.
- In the coming months, both Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Brett Kavanaugh, along with Justice Neil Gorsuch, are planning to release their respective books, following in the footsteps of other Supreme Court justices who have published literary works.
