Hundreds of publishing staffers have signed an open letter calling on Penguin Random House to axe Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney's book deal because she voted to overturn abortion rights.
The deal for a book about how judges should not let personal feelings affect their decisions was reported in April of 2021.
As of Friday afternoon, more than 500 people had signed an open letter calling the deal a case of a corporation funding the destruction of human rights.
The letter claims that it's signatories care deeply about freedom of speech and that they're aware of the harm that can be done to a democracy.
The letter said that they were calling on Penguin Random House to rethink its decision to publish Justice Amy ConeyBarrett's book.
The letter said that the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health was based on what ConeyBarrett's book was about and how judges are not supposed to bring their own feelings into how they rule. It seems this is what ConeyBarrett has done, causing her own religious and moral agenda upon all Americans while appropriating the rhetoric of even-handedness, and Penguin Random House has agreed to pay her $2 million to do it.
The book would violate both the Code of Conduct and the international human rights of the publisher, according to the letter.
The letter said that the book was not just a book that they disagreed with. Many of us work with books that are disagreeable to our political views. This is a case where a corporation has funded the destruction of human rights. ConeyBarrett is free to say as she pleases, but Penguin Random House must decide whether to fund her position at the expense of human rights in order to inflate its bottom line, or to truly stand behind its values.
Publishers, authors, and members of the press are included in the signatories.
The group of signers decided it was time to make a statement because of the upcoming elections, according to the group's representative. We can't amplify the voices of extremists who want to take away the rights of millions of Americans. I hope that this action encourages others in the industry to speak out, as I am proud to see the responses so far.
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