Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor's staff prodded colleges and libraries to buy her books
This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by JudyM (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).
Source: Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) For colleges and libraries seeking a boldfaced name for a guest lecturer, few come bigger than Sonia Sotomayor, the Supreme Court justice who rose from poverty in the Bronx to the nations highest court.
She has benefited, too from schools purchases of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of the books she has written over the years.
Sotomayors staff has often prodded public institutions that have hosted the justice to buy her memoir or childrens books, works that have earned her at least $3.7 million since she joined the court in 2009. Details of those events, largely out of public view, were obtained by The Associated Press through more than 100 open records requests to public institutions. The resulting tens of thousands of pages of documents offer a rare look at Sotomayor and her fellow justices beyond their official duties.
In her case, the documents reveal repeated examples of taxpayer-funded court staff performing tasks for the justices book ventures, which workers in other branches of government are barred from doing. But when it comes to promoting her literary career, Sotomayor is free to do what other government officials cannot because the Supreme Court does not have a formal code of conduct, leaving the nine justices to largely write and enforce their own rules.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-sotomayor-book-sales-ethics-colleges-b2cb93493f927f995829762cb8338c02
Wonder Why
(3,509 posts)Unfortunately, there are many Democrats in power who have lost ethics along the way, too.
Think. Again.
(9,447 posts)...with the premise of the article that the supreme court should have and hold an appropriate ethics code as does every other branch of government, but honestly, compared to the corruption of the rightwing justices, Sotomayer's use of court staff to organize details of her speaking engagements is some pretty weak "whataboutism".
spooky3
(34,615 posts)Thomas-level wrong scale.
LiberalLovinLug
(14,193 posts)Having staff promote your book, which it sounds like they were all too happy to do, is not even a 2/10 of Thomas's or Alito's excursions.
I'm sure this was dug up by Thomas's and Alito's people and leaked in order to not have all the "corruption" spotlight on them.
Lulu KC
(2,590 posts)As long as no laws were broken, her book and her talks are nothing but an asset to our country.
onetexan
(13,112 posts)therein lies the difference between her case & the crooked GOP appointed justices.
ificandream
(9,497 posts)According to Amazon's author page for her, she has only five books. Four of them are children's books.
Then there's this: "Sotomayors staff has often prodded public institutions that have hosted the justice to buy her memoir or childrens books, works that have earned her at least $3.7 million since she joined the court in 2009." Has she earned the $3.7 million only from these public institutions or in the sales of them generally since 2009? And were the "prodded" sales in normal book-selling doing business or "under the table" so to speak, prodding?
"In her case, the documents reveal repeated examples of taxpayer-funded court staff performing tasks for the justices book ventures, which workers in other branches of government are barred from doing." Again, no detail. Just generalizations.
This is a hack piece, not journalism. No facts, just allegations. In other words, total bullshit. Shame on you, AP. (As an aside, I worked at a major newspaper for three decades.)
intheflow
(28,541 posts)If the book tour has to be worked around the Court's schedule, it's completely appropriate for staff to contact the venues. And the #1 thing people usually want at author speaking engagements is copies of the book in question, and other books by the author. They want to buy signed copies! I'm a librarian, and have worked in bookstores. The staff probably said, "And how many copies would you like on hand for signing?" and this bs "reporting" is the result.
lostnfound
(16,226 posts)Prodding was an impressive word choice. Its right on the line between asking and pushing. So nuanced, an ink blot open to interpretation, but sounds like something bad. Were they being arm-twisted, or just prompted?
snowybirdie
(5,278 posts)They got one! Only $3 mil over15 years or so after actually doing the work to write books! She should have found some rich benefactors instead and gone on big trips instead.
czarjak
(11,441 posts)cactusfractal
(503 posts)chowder66
(9,152 posts)Marthe48
(17,258 posts)Isn't 'prodding' a venue that hosted an author pretty normal? Did she report the income and pay taxes on the portion that was taxable? Is her staff working within their job description? If not, did they report the work that was out of their government paid work load?
I have an issue if the staff was getting paid with taxpayers' money and not her own for work meant to increase her private income. However, and I'm splitting hairs, if the work promoting the books was part of arranging lectures as part of her job as a justice, I think it'd be hard to keep it separate. I guess somebody took the time and I hope it isn't whataboutism. Because then, I will weigh in my mind what thomas has done, and this doesn't seem to be in the same league.
CrispyQ
(36,677 posts)The media loves both-siderism to keep the horse race alive.
The media will help elect the authoritarian who will shut them down.
Marthe48
(17,258 posts)None so blind as those who will not see.
Otoh, seems like the woke journalists get fired. (Not including any of the faux trash as woke or journalists)
50 Shades Of Blue
(10,190 posts)For the Democratic appointees only....
patphil
(6,305 posts)This is a value for value situation. She writes books, shows up to give a talk and sign books, and gets paid through book sales in the process. Probably also an honorarium for speaking.
Having her staff facilitate and coordinate the process is all quite legal.
Libraries and book stores also benefit from increased foot traffic and increased lending/sales.
This is how it's done in America.
LiberalFighter
(51,898 posts)Bobstandard
(1,348 posts)The words of a liberal justice should be available widely. And schools, colleges and libraries should pay for the books. Conservative justices books make it to those places after a conservative donor or PAC buys them then donates the books to all and sundry
JudyM
(29,347 posts)Some hosts felt it was not important enough news to be in LBN because there was little concrete factual detail of importance, and some hosts felt it was analysis suggesting readers draw inferences, but only about Sotomayor.
Ok to repost in General Discussion if youd like.