Contempt
[C51, §12; R60, §8; C73, §14; C97, §18; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §23; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, §2.24; C71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §2.18]
Each house has authority to punish for contempt, by fine or imprisonment or both, any person who commits any of the following offenses against its authority:
- 1. Arresting a member, knowing the member to be such, in violation of the member’s privilege, or assaulting, or threatening to assault, or threatening any harm to the person or property of, a member, knowing the member to be such, for anything said or done by the member in such house as a member thereof.
- 2. Attempting by menace, or by force, or by any corrupt means to control or influence a member in giving a vote, or to prevent giving it.
- 3. Disorderly or contemptuous conduct, tending to disturb its proceedings.
- 4. Refusal to attend, or to be sworn, or to affirm, or to be examined, as a witness before it, or before a committee thereof, when duly subpoenaed.
- 5. Assaulting or preventing any person going before it, or before any of its committees, by its order, the offender knowing such fact.
- 6. Rescuing or attempting to rescue any person arrested by its order, the offender knowing of such arrest.
- 7. Impeding any officer of such house in the discharge of the officer’s duties as such, the offender knowing the officer’s official character.
[C51, §12; R60, §8; C73, §14; C97, §18; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §23; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, §2.24; C71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §2.18]