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Jose Garcia

(2,622 posts)
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:09 PM Jul 2023

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 nation’s highest court.

She has benefited, too — from schools’ purchases of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of the books she has written over the years.

Sotomayor’s staff has often prodded public institutions that have hosted the justice to buy her memoir or children’s 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 justice’s 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

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Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor's staff prodded colleges and libraries to buy her books (Original Post) Jose Garcia Jul 2023 OP
Remember, all the Supremes voted against having ethics rules including her. Wonder Why Jul 2023 #1
I agree ... Think. Again. Jul 2023 #2
Agree; if she did it, that's wrong, but a 2 versus a 10 on a 10 point spooky3 Jul 2023 #4
Bingo LiberalLovinLug Jul 2023 #18
She deserves it all Lulu KC Jul 2023 #3
yup. She's not taking bribes from billionaires or lobbyists trying to influence her. No harm no foul onetexan Jul 2023 #5
Bingo. FM123 Jul 2023 #19
Lots of questions here. Piss poorly written story. Sounds like it was written for Fox "news". ificandream Jul 2023 #6
Exactly. intheflow Jul 2023 #14
+1 Wish I could recommend your reply.. lostnfound Jul 2023 #20
Ah ha snowybirdie Jul 2023 #7
If she walked on water, they'd just say she couldn't swim. czarjak Jul 2023 #8
BuT hEr KiNdLe n/t cactusfractal Jul 2023 #9
lol! chowder66 Jul 2023 #13
Does she get something beyond money? Marthe48 Jul 2023 #10
Yes, it feels very much like a few missing files vs boxes & boxes of documents. CrispyQ Jul 2023 #11
I think you're right Marthe48 Jul 2023 #12
Gee maybe now Repugs will get behind ethics rules for the SC. 50 Shades Of Blue Jul 2023 #15
I have no problem with Justice Sotomayor making money off the books she wrote. patphil Jul 2023 #16
Has AP investigated Roberts dealings? LiberalFighter Jul 2023 #17
Good. Schools, colleges and libraries should have copious her book. Bobstandard Jul 2023 #21
Locking after forum hosts' review JudyM Jul 2023 #22

Wonder Why

(3,509 posts)
1. Remember, all the Supremes voted against having ethics rules including her.
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:18 PM
Jul 2023

Unfortunately, there are many Democrats in power who have lost ethics along the way, too.

Think. Again.

(9,447 posts)
2. I agree ...
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:23 PM
Jul 2023

...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)
4. Agree; if she did it, that's wrong, but a 2 versus a 10 on a 10 point
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:30 PM
Jul 2023

Thomas-level wrong scale.

LiberalLovinLug

(14,193 posts)
18. Bingo
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 04:13 PM
Jul 2023

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)
3. She deserves it all
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:26 PM
Jul 2023

As long as no laws were broken, her book and her talks are nothing but an asset to our country.

onetexan

(13,112 posts)
5. yup. She's not taking bribes from billionaires or lobbyists trying to influence her. No harm no foul
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:31 PM
Jul 2023

therein lies the difference between her case & the crooked GOP appointed justices.

FM123

(10,055 posts)
19. Bingo.
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 05:06 PM
Jul 2023

ificandream

(9,497 posts)
6. Lots of questions here. Piss poorly written story. Sounds like it was written for Fox "news".
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:31 PM
Jul 2023

According to Amazon's author page for her, she has only five books. Four of them are children's books.

Then there's this: "Sotomayor’s staff has often prodded public institutions that have hosted the justice to buy her memoir or children’s 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 justice’s 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)
14. Exactly.
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 03:09 PM
Jul 2023

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)
20. +1 Wish I could recommend your reply..
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 05:34 PM
Jul 2023

‘Prodding’ was an impressive word choice. It’s 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)
7. Ah ha
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:32 PM
Jul 2023

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)
8. If she walked on water, they'd just say she couldn't swim.
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:34 PM
Jul 2023

cactusfractal

(503 posts)
9. BuT hEr KiNdLe n/t
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:34 PM
Jul 2023

chowder66

(9,152 posts)
13. lol!
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 03:09 PM
Jul 2023

Marthe48

(17,258 posts)
10. Does she get something beyond money?
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:39 PM
Jul 2023

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)
11. Yes, it feels very much like a few missing files vs boxes & boxes of documents.
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:48 PM
Jul 2023

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)
12. I think you're right
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 02:51 PM
Jul 2023

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)
15. Gee maybe now Repugs will get behind ethics rules for the SC.
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 03:10 PM
Jul 2023

For the Democratic appointees only....

patphil

(6,305 posts)
16. I have no problem with Justice Sotomayor making money off the books she wrote.
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 03:33 PM
Jul 2023

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)
17. Has AP investigated Roberts dealings?
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 03:47 PM
Jul 2023

Bobstandard

(1,348 posts)
21. Good. Schools, colleges and libraries should have copious her book.
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 07:09 PM
Jul 2023

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)
22. Locking after forum hosts' review
Tue Jul 11, 2023, 07:53 PM
Jul 2023

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 you’d like.

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