Case library · Contempt of Court
The Forbidden Question
Pounders v. Watson (1997)
Charge: Summary criminal contempt of court by defence counselCourt: U.S. Supreme Court (on certiorari from the Ninth Circuit; contempt by the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County)State: CaliforniaDocket: Contempt of Court
The facts
A defence lawyer was trying a murder case. The judge had told counsel more than once, in open court and at the bench, that the punishment the accused faced was not a subject open to discussion in front of the jury. The lawyer then asked her own client whether he was facing the death penalty and life without any chance of parole. The judge found her in contempt on the spot and ordered two days in jail once the trial was over.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Pounders v. Watson, 521 U.S. 982 (1997)
Read more at supreme.justia.com. The source reveals the outcome.