Angry literary figures demand Amy Coney Barrett book deal be shut down in open letter to publisher

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Over 500 literary figures have signed an open letter demanding Penguin Random House shut down a book deal with Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett valued at $2 million over her vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

In the letter, the progressive signers claimed that while they "care deeply about freedom of speech," they also believe it is important for publishers to uphold their own dedication to the First Amendment with a "duty of care."

"We recognize that harm is done to a democracy not only in the form of censorship, but also in the form of assault on inalienable human rights," the letter states. "As such, we are calling on Penguin Random House to recognize its own history and corporate responsibility commitments by reevaluating its decision to move forward with publishing Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s forthcoming book."

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The letter claims that Coney Barrett violated her judiciary role by "inflicting her own religious and moral agenda" upon the American public, and that Random House’s decision to move forward with her book is a violation of "international human rights." It also claimed the book goes against the publisher’s own Code of Conduct. 

"This is not just a book that we disagree with, and we are not calling for censorship. Many of us work daily with books we find disagreeable to our personal politics," the letter signees write. "Rather, this is a case where a corporation has privately funded the destruction of human rights with obscene profits."

The letter added that in joining the majority vote to overturn Roe v. Wade in June, Barrett was responsible for "dismantling protections for the human rights to privacy, self-determination, and bodily autonomy along with the federal right to an abortion in the United States. International human rights organizations widely recognize abortion access as a fundamental human right and have condemned the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision."

The list of dissenters who signed the letter include "Rick and Morty" writer Erica Rosbe, employees of Random House, employees of HarperCollins, Barnes and Nobles employees and various other publishers, authors and members of the press. 

The group behind the letter provided comment to Publishers Weekly on Tuesday, further clarifying its stance on the book deal. 

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"With the midterms coming up, and the 2024 election looming, the group decided it was time to make a statement," @publishersbrunch told Publishers Weekly on behalf of the group. "We cannot, and will not, amplify the voices of extremists (like Amy Coney Barrett) who would gladly take away the rights of millions of Americans if given the chance. I'm extremely proud to see the responses thus far and hope that this action encourages others in the industry to speak out!"

The book is being published by Sentinel, an imprint and trade name of Penguin Random House. The imprint focuses on conservative content and has recently published books written by Dave Rubin, Ann Coulter and Reihan Salam.

Sentinel did not reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

News of the Coney Barrett book deal was revealed in April 2021. Publishing industry sources noted that the book garnered a $2 million advance and would focus on how judges are not supposed to bring their personal feelings into their rulings.

This is not the first time Coney Barrett has faced backlash for her Supreme Court ruling. 

In August, it was reported that Rhodes College alums were lobbying the school to remove Coney Barrett from the Rhodes Hall of Fame. 

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Coney Barrett was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Donald Trump in 2020 and rapidly confirmed to fill the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is the fifth woman to serve on the court; Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson became the sixth earlier this year.