criminal contempt
3
8.8
- noun
- /ˈkrɪmɪnəl kənˈtɛmpt/
- Formal
:
desacato criminal
- So last night, the committee brought the gavel down and voted unanimously to recommend charging Bannon with criminal contempt of Congress.
- criminal contempt proceedings
- criminal contempt conviction
Examples
-
The appellate court held that a juror could not be convicted of direct criminal contempt, which is for conduct that occurs in the presence of the court, unless the juror interfered with the judicial process.
Academic text (2006) -
After repeatedly interrupting the proceedings, she faced a charge of criminal contempt in court.
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You're being charged with criminal contempt of court.
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She wasn't held in criminal contempt.
Blog text (31) -
Author and infomercial king Kevin Trudeau was sentenced to 30 days in prison Wednesday after a federal judge last week found him in criminal contempt.
Blog text (2) -
Dixon was sentenced to 180 days in jail for criminal contempt for violating the condition of his release that he commit no crimes.
Academic text (1993) -
The judge warned the defendant about the consequences of committing criminal contempt during the proceedings.
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The lawyer argued that his client did not intend to show criminal contempt when he refused to answer the judge's questions.
Synonyms
80
6.8
Deliberate refusal to obey a court's orders that can be punished by law
15
7.5
Showing disrespect to a judge or refusing to obey a court order that can be punished
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'contempt' already carries the sense of disrespect or disobedience toward a court, and the adjective 'criminal' straightforwardly marks that this form of contempt is treated as a crime or punishable offense. This adjective+noun composition is transparent for learners who know both constituents, though finer legal distinctions (e.g. civil vs criminal contempt) are beyond a B1 need-to-know.
Etymology
Criminal contempt comes from a simple image: someone showing open contempt by refusing to obey the judge or by shouting and disrupting court. Because courts must keep order, that rude or defiant act is treated as a criminal offense and can be punished, so the phrase means 'a crime for disrespecting the court'.