Contempt of Court

Definition

Disrespecting the court or violating a court order, punishable by fines or jail time. It's the court's way of saying 'don't test me.'

Example Usage

The witness was held in contempt for refusing to answer questions despite being ordered to do so.

Origin

From Latin 'contemptus' meaning 'scorned' or 'disdained'

Fun Fact

You can be jailed indefinitely for contempt (purge contempt) if you refuse to comply with a court order, even if you weren't convicted of anything

Source: Court procedure terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

disallow

To formally reject, deny, or declare something invalid—the bureaucratic way of saying 'no' with an air of authority.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

contributory

Contributing to or helping cause a result, often used in legal contexts to assign partial blame or responsibility. In 'contributory negligence,' it means you helped cause your own injury, which can reduce your damages award. Basically, it's the legal system's way of saying 'well, you didn't help matters.'

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

lien

A legal IOU that lets creditors plant their flag on your property until you pay up. Think of it as a financial barnacle that attaches to your assets and won't let go until the debt is satisfied. It's the reason why clearing title before a real estate closing is more complicated than your relationship status on Facebook.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

Recusal

When a judge removes themselves from a case because they have a conflict of interest, like the defendant is their cousin or the plaintiff once cut them off in traffic. The legal version of saying "I should probably sit this one out."

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

Malum Prohibitum

Latin for 'prohibited wrong'—conduct that's only illegal because a law says so, not because it's inherently evil (like driving on the left side of the road in the U.S.).

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

recanting

Publicly admitting you were wrong and taking back what you said earlier—the legal equivalent of 'I take it back!' Recanting is the formal withdrawal or repudiation of a previous statement, often under oath.

⚖️ Legal

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