Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Memoir, ‘Lovely One’, Dominates the Bestseller List and Her Financial Disclosure
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson reported earning more than $2 million in 2023 from her memoir Lovely One, according to her latest annual financial disclosure released Tuesday. The memoir, published by Random House in September, briefly claimed the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list.
Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, signed her book deal shortly after joining the bench in 2022 and previously disclosed receiving an advance of nearly $900,000. Over the past year, she embarked on an extensive national speaking tour, clocking 15 paid trips across the country in support of the memoir.
Supreme Court Salaries and Side Income
While all associate justices—including Jackson—receive a base salary of $303,600, Chief Justice John Roberts earns $317,500. However, outside income from book deals and teaching continues to widen the gap between official salaries and total earnings among members of the Court.
The nearly $3 million Jackson has received from Lovely One to date rivals the book deal of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, whose memoir My Beloved World debuted in 2013. Sotomayor, who has also penned several children’s books, is now working on a new title, Just Shine! How to Be a Better You, inspired by her late mother, according to People magazine.
Book Deals Extend Across the Bench
Justice Neil Gorsuch also added to the literary bench with Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law, published in August by Harper (an imprint of HarperCollins). Meanwhile, Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh each have book deals in development and reported teaching income of just over $30,000 for short law school stints.
Barrett and Kavanaugh taught at Notre Dame Law School in South Bend, Indiana—where each has a child enrolled. Barrett previously served as a professor there before her appointment to the court. Gorsuch taught in Porto, Portugal, as part of George Mason University’s summer law program.
Chief Justice Roberts also taught abroad, leading a two-week course in Galway, Ireland, in July. Though unpaid at the time, Roberts noted that his compensation will appear in next year’s disclosure.
Alito’s Report Pending
The only justice whose financial disclosure was not included in the Tuesday release was Justice Samuel Alito, who, as in previous years, was granted a 90-day extension to submit his report.
As book deals become more common across the high court, Jackson’s Lovely One currently leads the pack—not just in earnings, but in cultural impact and visibility for a sitting justice.
