Communications & Media
6. Contempt of Court
Authors: Staff Legal Eagle
Firm / Chambers:
Last updated: 23 Jun 2015
- In the context of media reporting contempt of court refers to publications which could have a prejudicial effect on the proceedings.
- This means it could affect the way the jury and witnesses think about the case.
- The purpose of this law is to ensure that a fair trial is achieved. Usually this applies to criminal proceedings especially where they are tried by a jury.
- The jury is made up of people from the general public who may be susceptible to what the media publishes about either the defendant or the circumstances of the crime.
- The contempt period for criminal cases begins when:
- a charge is made against the defendant;
- a warrant is issued; or
- a person is arrested.
- It will end after the judgment has been made and when the time for an appeal has expired.
- For civil cases the contempt period begins when a written order is issued by the court and ends when the proceedings are over. See our Civil Litigation Overview Guide for more information concerning how an action is started in the civil jurisdiction of a court of law compared with criminal prosecutions.
View more Information on Industry Areas