Four Penguin Random House author-justices leave US Supreme Court unable to hear Bertelsmann cases

Four US Supreme Court justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson — recused from BMG Rights Management v Vetter on 19 October 2026. All four are Penguin Random House authors. Publishers Lunch reported the pattern suggests the court could be unable to review any case involving Bertelsmann or its subsidiaries.