What is "contempt of court"?

Question

Is it a felony or a misdemeanor? I know there will be a warrant for your arrest; will they come to your house to pick you up, or will they wait for a random traffic stop? What kind of jail time are we looking at here--2 to 3 days? Finally, if the court is in another county, will you have to serve your time in that county, or could you serve it in your home county? If it matters, the contempt charge will be stemming from failure to appear to provide testimony in a misdemeanor battery case.

Answer 1

Failure to appear It is a misdemeanor and after a couple of days they will come to your house ...you have about 4 or 5 days to turn yourself in.
Once they book you , you have to wait to see the commissioner and he/she will make the decision to let you go or keep you. This all has to be done in the county that served the warrant...

My suggestion is for you to turn yourself in on a weekday around 3pm at the most you will probably spend is 4 hours in jail if that

Answer 2

Contempt of court is a court ruling which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, deems an individual as holding contempt for the court, its process, and its invested powers. Often stated simply as "in contempt," or a person "held in contempt," it is the highest remedy of a judge to impose sanctions on an individual for acts which excessively or in a wanton manner disrupt the normal process of a court hearing.

A finding of contempt of court may result from a failure to obey a lawful order of a court, showing disrespect for the judge, disruption of the proceedings through poor behavior, or publication of material deemed likely to jeopardize a fair trial. A judge may impose sanctions such as a fine or jail for someone found guilty of contempt of court. Typically judges in common law systems have more extensive power to declare someone in contempt than judges in civil law systems.

In civil cases involving relations between private citizens, the intended victim of the act of contempt is usually the party for whose benefit the ruling was implemented, rather than the court itself.

A person found in contempt of court is called a "contemnor." To prove contempt, the prosecutor or complainant must prove the four elements of contempt. These are (1) existence of a lawful order, (2) the contemnor's knowledge of the order, (3) the contemnor's ability to comply, and (4) the contemnor's failure to comply.


Under American jurisprudence, acts of contempt are divided into two types.

"Direct" contempt is that which occurs in the presence of the presiding judge (in facie curiae), and may be dealt with summarily: the judge notifies the offending party that he or she has acted in a manner which disrupts the tribunal and prejudices the administration of justice, and after giving the person the opportunity to respond, may impose the sanction immediately.

"Indirect" contempt occurs outside the immediate presence of the court, and consists of disobedience of a court's prior order. Generally a party will be accused of indirect contempt by the party for whose benefit the order was entered. A person cited for indirect contempt is entitled to notice of the charge and an opportunity for hearing of the evidence of contempt, and to present evidence in rebuttal.

Answer 3

Defiance of a court order, such as refusing to appear in court, paying a judgment against you, and similar things.