#SCOTUS Book Royalties

July 3rd, 2015

The Justices recently released their financial disclosures. Last year Justice Breyer made $60,000 and Justice Scalia made $30,000 on book royalties.

How did the Justices with books make out with royalties?

  • Justice Scalia made $33,798 from West Services.
  • Justice Breyer made $7,214 from Random House and $126 from Kopf.
  • Like in 2013, Justice Sotomayor received “no ‘noninvestment income’ in 2014” from her book. But she wrote that the “Knopf Double Day Group, publisher of my memoir “My Beloved World,” disbursed $25,990.00 during 2014 to promote the sale of the memoir.” In 2012, she disclosed a $1,000,000 advance and a separate $925,000 advance. As I speculated last year, she is still paying off the advance, and has not earned any royalties beyond the $2,000,000 paid up front.
  • Justice Thomas did not list any royalties for “My Grandfather’s Son.”