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Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s newly released financial disclosure for 2024 shows a large and diversified investment portfolio but no outside earned income, gifts, or liabilities.
The report, filed on Aug. 13 and made public on Aug. 26, indicates Alito was reimbursed for one trip last year—food and lodging at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, where he delivered a commencement address and received an honorary degree.
In those remarks, he warned graduates that freedom of speech and religion were at risk, saying support for free expression is “declining dangerously,” especially on college campuses. “Troubled waters are slamming against some of our most fundamental principles,” he said at the time, urging young people to take action and create positive change.
Alito’s wide-ranging portfolio includes mutual funds, municipal bonds, and shares in numerous companies, such as Molson Coors, 3M Co., Boeing, and Procter & Gamble. He reported routine transactions in 2024, including partial sales of Vanguard mutual funds and ETFs, bond redemptions, and new purchases such as a Bank of America CD and an iShares emerging markets fund.
The 75-year-old justice was the last member of the court to file his disclosure. The other justices submitted their reports on May 15, the annual deadline, with forms released in mid-June. Federal judges and justices may request extensions of up to 90 days, which Alito did.
While Alito disclosed no outside income, other members of the court reported sizable earnings from book deals and teaching.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson listed a $2.06 million advance from Penguin Random House for her memoir “Lovely One,” on top of a $900,000 payment reported the year before. Justice Neil Gorsuch received more than $250,000 in royalties for his 2024 book “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law,” along with about $30,000 in teaching income from George Mason University. Justice Sonia Sotomayor reported more than $130,000 in advances and royalties, including $60,000 for a forthcoming children’s book titled “Just Shine.”
Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett each reported roughly $30,000 from teaching at Notre Dame’s law school, while Chief Justice John Roberts noted he taught a summer course in Ireland, though he said the payment won’t appear until next year’s disclosure. The justices earn an annual salary of $303,600, except for Roberts, who is paid $317,500.
The disclosures are meant to flag potential conflicts of interest and compliance with ethics rules, but they remain relatively opaque about personal wealth. They come amid heightened scrutiny of Supreme Court ethics after investigative reports detailed undisclosed gifts and trips accepted by some justices. Alito himself faced criticism several years ago after ProPublica reported he flew on a private jet to an Alaska fishing lodge in 2008 with Republican donors.
Alito acknowledged taking the private jet to Alaska for the fishing trip but defended his failure to disclose the flight in a commentary in the Wall Street Journal, saying that justices “commonly interpreted” the disclosure requirements to not include “accommodations and transportation for social events.” He also objected to ProPublica’s suggestions that he should have recused himself from cases in which one of the participants of the trip had business before the high court, saying that he never discussed any judicial matters with the individual in question.
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
