Contempt Of Court

A look at a 1906 Supreme Court decision that transformed justice in America examines the case of Ed Johnson, an African American man accused of raping a white woman, his lynching, and the response of the Supreme Court.

This book provides guidance for judicial officer in the conduct of civil proceedings, from preliminary matters to the conduct of final proceedings and the assessment of damages and costs. It contains concise statements of relevant legal principles, references to legislation, sample orders for judicial official to use where suitable and checklists applicable to various kinds of issues that arise in the course of managing and conducting civil litigation.

Previous edition: Contempt of court / C.J. Miller. 2000.

The essays discuss the restrictions imposed by contempt of court and other laws on media freedom to attend and report legal proceedings. Part I contains leading articles on the open justice principle. They examine the extent to which departures from that principle should be allowed to protect the rights of parties, in particular the accused in criminal proceedings, to a fair trial, and their interest in being rehabilitated in society after proceedings have been concluded. The essays in Part II examine the topical issue of whether open justice entails a right to film and broadcast legal proceedings. The articles in Part III are concerned with the application of contempt of court to prejudicial media publicity; they discuss whether it is possible to prevent prejudice without sacrificing media freedom. Another aspect of media freedom and contempt of court is canvassed in Part IV: whether journalists should enjoy a privilege not to reveal their sources of information.

Contempt Of Court, Because Of Its Controversial Nature, Has Created Contradictory Opinions Among The Jurists As Well As Scholars. The Contempt Jurisprudence With The Common Law Origin Has Been Transmitted Into The Indian Jurisprudence By The Courts Of Record Through Several Charters. Our Constitution Has Acknowledged And Accepted This Jurisdiction By Conferring The Status Of Court Of Record To The Supreme Court And High Courts. A Country Embedded In The Concept Of Rule Of Law Should Give Due Respect To The Law And The Organ Which Applies The Law And Administers Justice. This Organ Which Possesses Neither The Muscle Power Nor The Money Power Has To Extract Due Obedience To Its Orders Only Through This Jurisdiction. But Difficulty Arises When This Jurisdiction Clashes With The Invaluable Rights Of Citizens As Well As Those Of The Press, As Enshrined In The Constitution. It Becomes All The More Difficult When It Interferes With The Functioning Of Administrative Authorities, Corporations And The Like. It Poses Different Questions. What Constitutes A Contempt Of Court? When And How This Jurisdiction Has To Be Exercised? In What Way Is The Judiciary, One Of The Organs Of The State, Justified In Controlling Other Organs Of The State And Also Rights Of Citizens In The Name Of Contempt Jurisdiction?No Indepth Study Has Been Undertaken So Far To Ascertain The Answer To The Above Questions. The Author Has Made Sincere And Humble Attempt To Cull Out Answers To The Above Questions In The Light Of Judicial Interpretations.The Concept Of Criminal Contempt, Which Includes Prejudicing Fair Trial Or Interfering With The Administration Of Justice Or Scandalising The Court, Is Analysed In Relation To The Rights Of Individuals And Those Of The Press. The Concept Of Civil Contempt, Which Includes Disobedience To The Orders Of The Court Or Breach Of An Undertaking, Is Analysed In Relation To The Administrative Authorities And Corporations, Individuals And Subordinate Judiciary.The Existing Political And Social Scenario Requires A Comprehensive Understanding Of This Branch Of Law To Eliminate Its Possible Misinterpretation. It Is Hoped That The Observations And Suggestions Made By The Author Will Be Of Immense Help And Of Use For Students, Lawyers, Law Teachers And Administrators.