Case Categories: Contempt of Court

Under English common law, courts had intended the power to punish individuals who showed contempt for their authority on the theory that such contempts were contempts of the king.

In the U.S. system of government, civil contempts of court are directed at individuals who refuse to do something that a court has ordered done for the benefit of another party; complying with the order usually settles the issue at hand. Criminal contempts, which are more likely to raise First Amendment issues, involve trespassing against the dignity of the court itself.

Following are cases involving the First Amendment and contempt of court.

• Anderson v. Dunn (1821)

  Anderson v. Dunn (1821) upheld the right of Congress to cite individuals for contempt but recognized that contempt citations could suppress First Amendment...

• Bridges v. California (1941)

  Bridges v. California (1941) used the First Amendment to overturn contempt convictions against a newspaper and an individual who had criticized judicial...

• Craig v. Harney (1947)

  In Craig v. Harney (1947), the Court overturned contempt of court convictions against three Texas Journalist on grounds of First Amendment free speech and press...

• Craig v. Hecht (1923)

  In Craig v. Hecht (1923), the Court upheld a contempt citation issued by a judge after the New York City comptroller published a letter critical of his decision...

• Gompers v. Buck's Stove and Range Co. (1911)

  In Gompers v. Buck’s Stove and Range Co., the Court rejected the claim that First Amendment rights protect individuals who violate injunctions against labor...

• Patterson v. Colorado (1907)

  Patterson v. Colorado (1907), which upheld a contempt citation against a paper that criticized a state supreme court, has been superseded by new First Amendment...

• Pennekamp v. Florida (1946)

  Pennekamp v. Florida (1946) overturned a contempt citation issued to an editor of the Miami Herald. The Court found that the contempt citation violated the...

• Walker v. City of Birmingham (1967)

  In Walker v. City of Birmingham (1967), the Court refused to look at whether a court order against Birmingham civil rights protestors violated the First...

• Wood v. Georgia (1962)

  Wood v. Georgia (1962) said a Georgia sheriff's criticism of local judges did not present a clear and present danger and was protected by the First Amendment...