Supreme Court Justices Report Earning Millions From Outside Sources

Four Supreme Court justices in 2025 reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars from books, on top of their regular salaries, according to disclosures released on June 29.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the newest justice, said she made $1.18 million from an advance from Penguin Random House. Jackson’s memoir was published by the company in 2024, and she previously reported a $2 million advance for that year and a $900,000 advance the year prior.

Judicial officers must report finances on an annual basis, and those disclosures are made public under a 2022 law.

Jackson also said in the new disclosure that she received a painting worth $2,500 from artists Paul Branton and Kristen Williams. Branton on Instagram in 2025 posted a portrait of Jackson and said that he was gifting it to her.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett reported $849,071 in publication and copyright royalties from Javelin Group LLC, which published her book in 2025. She also took in $33,285 for her work as an adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School in Indiana.

Justice Neil Gorsuch disclosed approximately $300,000 in royalties for books he’s written in recent years, as well as $30,379 in teaching income from George Mason University. He had listed about $250,000 in royalties in his previous disclosure, and another approximately $250,000 the year before.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she made about $88,000 in book royalties. She also received concert tickets worth $4,333 while on a trip to Puerto Rico in August 2025 and return airfare after attending a play in Kansas City based on one of her books. The specific concert was not disclosed.

Sotomayor in her 2025 disclosure had reported about $134,000 in book royalties and advances, and in her 2024 disclosure listed nearly $90,000 in such income.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh reported $33,285 in income from teaching at Notre Dame Law School, Justice John Roberts disclosed $25,000 in income from teaching at New England Law in Boston, and Justice Clarence Thomas said he received $18,000 from teaching at the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in Washington.

Justice Elena Kagan reported no outside income or gifts.

Justice Samuel Alito’s disclosures have not been released. Justices can receive extensions for the financial disclosures. Alito’s disclosures were reported later than those of the other justices last year and listed no outside income or gifts.

Several justices in the new disclosures reported receiving travel reimbursements, including Kagan. She said she was paid to give speeches at Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and for a trip to Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in California.

Supreme Court justices, who serve in lifetime positions until they step down or perish, make $306,600 per year for their work on the bench. The chief justice, currently Roberts, makes $320,700. The salary increases by several thousand annually.