Art. 1504 Kinds of contempt

This rule explains what counts as "contempt of court" in juvenile and family cases. Contempt means doing something, or failing to do something, that gets in the way of the court doing its job properly. It also covers actions that disrespect the court or its authority.

The rule breaks contempt into two types: direct and constructive. Direct contempt happens right in front of the judge, like being disruptive or disrespectful during a hearing. Constructive contempt happens outside the courtroom, such as ignoring a court order or failing to follow through on something the court told you to do.

This distinction matters because the two types of contempt are handled differently. Direct contempt can often be dealt with immediately by the judge since it happens in court. Constructive contempt usually requires a separate process, since the judge needs more information about what happened outside the courtroom before deciding if someone violated a court order.