False Will, No Jury

A man filed a will with the court. The document carried a date from before the supposed maker's death, but it had in fact been written and signed afterwards. Instead of an ordinary criminal charge, he was prosecuted for criminal contempt of court. He asked for a jury and was refused. A judge sitting alone found him guilty and sent him to prison for two years. The disputed point was whether a contempt punished that heavily must be tried like any other serious crime.