What is general contempt of court?

• A. Conduct that directly interferes with court proceedings
• B. Conduct that disrespects the judge
• C. Any act of noncompliance with a court order
• D. An offense committed outside of court

Answer: (A)

Contempt of court protects the court’s ability to run its proceedings. General contempt refers to acts that directly disrupt or interfere with what the court is doing in the moment. When someone in the courtroom directly interferes with the proceedings—for example, by shouting, disrupting the flow, or failing to obey the judge’s commands—that kind of conduct immediately hinders the court’s work, so it’s treated as contempt right there in the courtroom.

Disrespect toward the judge or noncompliance that happens outside the actual proceedings are serious forms of contempt too, but they don’t necessarily involve the immediate disruption of the court’s work in session.