In the financial disclosure forms published Friday, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson revealed that she received four tickets to Beyoncé’s concert last year. Additionally, it was disclosed that Jackson, along with Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Sonia Sotomayor, received six-figure payments in 2023 for book deals. Jackson reported a payment of $893,750 from Penguin Random House, the publisher of her upcoming memoir.
Kavanaugh received a $340,000 payment from the Javelin Group agency for his upcoming memoir, while Gorsuch reported royalty income of $250,000 for his book. The full financial windfall from these book deals will not be known for several years as these payments are typically made in installments. In a separate disclosure, Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not report any additional income from her previously disclosed $425,000 advance for her book.
Some of the justices also reported receiving gifts, with Jackson receiving Beyoncé concert tickets and artwork from various individuals. Clarence Thomas received photo albums worth $2,000 from Terrence and Barbara Giroux, with Terrence Giroux being the executive director emeritus of the Horatio Alger Association. These disclosures are mandated by law and provide a rough sketch of the finances of the justices and other government officials.
In addition to gifts and book deals, the disclosures revealed income received by the justices from various side gigs. Several justices received income from teaching at universities and rental properties, while Sotomayor received payment for a voice acting role on an animated show. Gorsuch received $29,798.20 for teaching at George Mason University, Kavanaugh earned $25,000 for teaching at Notre Dame Law school, and Barrett was paid $14,947.50 by Notre Dame as an adjunct professor.
The disclosures also detailed travel expenses covered by law schools and outside legal groups for various justices. Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett traveled to London with the University of Notre Dame, while Justice Kagan was reimbursed for travel to Notre Dame in Indiana. Sotomayor was reimbursed for trips to Los Angeles and Harvard University. Additionally, rental income from properties in New York, Florida, Maine, and Ireland was reported by some of the justices, as well as other forms of income such as parking space rentals and voice acting roles on television shows. Overall, the disclosures shed light on the various sources of income and activities undertaken by Supreme Court justices.
