Justices' book ties prompt questions on Supreme Court recusals
Four members of the U.S. Supreme Court recused themselves from a decision on whether to hear a case involving the parent company of their book publisher, according to The Washington Post.
The underlying dispute was a music copyright case, Courthouse News reported. The outcome has brought attention to the court's policy on stepping aside and how it works in practice.
NPR described its Oct. 20, 2026 reporting on the issue as a look at the court's policy and its impact. The report for All Things Considered was by Carrie Johnson. It said a publishing dispute highlighted the issue of recusals by justices, according to NPR.
Under current practice, the nine justices individually decide whether to step aside from a case because of a conflict, according to Reuters. A recusal means a justice does not take part in considering or deciding that case.
The court's written guidance addresses books. Its Statement Regarding the Code of Conduct says a justice may attend and speak at an event where the justice's books are available for purchase, according to the Supreme Court.
Book ties have come up before. In a book-publisher case, recusals left the court without six justices available for quorum, the minimum number needed to act. In cases over the past decade involving a publishing company, two justices did not step aside, according to CNN.
Justice Gorsuch stepped away from a case after a recusal request, according to Reuters. Democrats had urged recusal in that case because of ties with a businessman, the same report said.
