Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor's Book Controversy: Ethical Dilemmas and All-Expenses-Paid Trips

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's staff has been actively encouraging public institutions, such as colleges and libraries, to purchase her books, resulting in at least $3.7 million in earnings for her since joining the court in 2009. Documents obtained through open records requests reveal instances of taxpayer-funded court staff assisting with Sotomayor's book ventures, a practice prohibited for members of Congress and the executive branch. While the Supreme Court does not have a formal code of conduct, critics argue that such promotional efforts risk damaging the court's public standing and place individual justices above the institution itself. Sotomayor's publisher, Penguin Random House, has also played a role in organizing her book events and has had matters before the court in which Sotomayor did not recuse herself.