Court Opinion

ID: 9425650
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 23:15:20.366909+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:22:56.736081
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice Powell,
concurring.
I concur in the Court’s per curiam opinion. I write briefly only to make clear my understanding of the limited scope of its holding. Whether the language used by petitioner in a courtroom during trial justified exercise of the contempt power depended upon the facts. Under the circumstances here, the imposition of a contempt sanction against petitioner denied him due process of law.
The phrase “chicken shit” was used by petitioner as a characterization of the person whom petitioner believed assaulted him. As noted in the Court’s opinion, it was not directed at the trial judge or anyone officially connected with the trial court. But the controlling fact, in my view, and one that should be emphasized, is that petitioner received no prior warning or caution from the trial judge with respect to court etiquette. It may well be, in view of contemporary standards as to the use of vulgar and even profane language, that this particular petitioner had no reason to believe that this expletive would be offensive or in any way disruptive of proper courtroom decorum. Language likely to offend the sensibility of some listeners is now fairly commonplace in many social gatherings as well as in public performances.
I place a high premium on the importance of maintaining civility and good order in the courtroom. But *701before there is resort to the summary remedy of criminal contempt, the court at least owes the party concerned some sort of notice or warning. No doubt there are circumstances in which a courtroom outburst is so egregious as to justify a summary response by the judge without specific warning, but this is surely not such a case.