Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 61, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1898 — Court and Newpaper. [ARTICLE]

Court and Newpaper.

Oversensitive judges who have attempted recently to punish for contempt of court their newspaper critics have not met vjith remarkable success But they had all the success that they have deserved. It should be understood that the expression of contempt for a judge personally is not legally contempt of his court. The modern enlightened law of contempt of court is clear. It relates only to open disturbances of the court while in session and to disobedience to its lawful mandates. In some States statutory contempt of court consists in printing false reports of judiciul proceedings. But it would be monstrous if any cranky and petulant judge could haul up before him a publisher or anybody else for criticism of liis conduct uttered or published out of court. If a judge is libeled he has the same legal redress as any other citizen. He is entitled to no more. —Newspnper Union.