For colleges and libraries seeking a big 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. But emails show officials frequently found that an appearance by Sotomayor came with an additional benefit — namely the purchase of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of copies of her books. Sotomayor’s staff has repeatedly prodded public institutions to buy her memoir or children’s literature. Details about such events were obtained by The Associated Press through open records requests to public institutions. The documents handed over offer a rare look at the behavior of Sotomayor and fellow justices beyond their official duties.
