Contempt of Court

How Do You Plead? Yadda Yadda Yadda.

Please remember, even if it's only traffic court, you should at least appear to be taking things seriously. The Queensland Times reported recently that a 27-year-old woman irked a local magistrate with her response to his questions about her driving offense. Asked…



Laughing in Courtroom Leads to Felony Charge

There are occasionally times when laughing out loud in court is okay, but they are all too rare.  Importantly, the odds that it is okay to do this go way down if you are the only one laughing. A station…


What We Can Learn From Lindsay Lohan’s Courtroom Notes

First and most importantly, when covering your face with notes you have taken in court, the side you have written on should face toward you:   Second, Lindsay has excellent handwriting, the downside of which is that your notes may be legible from…





Defendant Gone Wild

"He has put a lot of this foolish behavior behind him," said Joe Francis's lawyer in 2007, but guess what? He had plenty left.  Back then, Mr. Francis, who some of you may know as the purveyor of "Girls Gone Wild" videos,…


Lawyer Jailed for Contempt Is Freed After 14 Years

Pennsylvania lawyer H. Beatty Chadwick either could not or really did not want to hand over the $2.5 million his ex-wife was awarded after their divorce, and he was prepared to go to jail for contempt rather than do so….


Texting in Court Equals Jail for Utah Woman

A woman who sent two text messages from a Utah courtroom got 30 days in jail for contempt of court, sources reported recently.  While pretty much every court prohibits the use of cellphones while court is in session, 15 days per…