600.1701 Neglect or violation of duty or misconduct; power to punish by fine or imprisonment.

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Sec. 1701.

The supreme court, circuit court, and all other courts of record, have power to punish by fine or imprisonment, or both, persons guilty of any neglect or violation of duty or misconduct in all of the following cases:

(a)Disorderly, contemptuous, or insolent behavior, committed during its sitting, in its immediate view and presence, and directly tending to interrupt its proceedings or impair the respect due to its authority.

(b)Any breach of the peace, noise, or disturbance directly tending to interrupt its proceedings.

(c)All attorneys, counselors, clerks, registers, sheriffs, coroners, and all other persons in any manner elected or appointed to perform any judicial or ministerial services, for any misbehavior in their office or trust, or for any willful neglect or violation of duty, for disobedience of any process of the court, or any lawful order of the court, or any lawful order of a judge of the court or of any officer authorized to perform the duties of the judge.

(d)Parties to actions for putting in fictitious bail or sureties or for any deceit or abuse of the process or proceedings of the court.

(e)Parties to actions, attorneys, counselors, and all other persons for the nonpayment of any sum of money which the court has ordered to be paid.

(f)Parties to actions, attorneys, counselors, and all other persons for disobeying or refusing to comply with any order of the court for the payment of temporary or permanent alimony or support money or costs made in any action for divorce or separate maintenance.

(g)Parties to actions, attorneys, counselors, and all other persons for disobeying any lawful order, decree, or process of the court.

(h)All persons for assuming to be and acting as officers, attorneys, or counselors of any court without authority; for rescuing any property or persons that are in the custody of an officer by virtue of process issued from that court; for unlawfully detaining any witness or party to an action while he or she is going to, remaining at, or returning from the court where the action is pending for trial, or for any other unlawful interference with or resistance to the process or proceedings in any action.

(i)All persons who, having been subpoenaed to appear before or attend, refuse or neglect to obey the subpoena, to attend, to be sworn, or when sworn, to answer any legal and proper interrogatory in any of the following circumstances:

(i)As a witness in any court in this state.

(ii)Any officer of a court of record who is empowered to receive evidence.

(iii)Any commissioner appointed by any court of record to take testimony.

(iv)Any referees or auditors appointed according to the law to hear any cause or matter.

(v)Any notary public or other person before whom any affidavit or deposition is to be taken.

(j)Persons summoned as jurors in any court, for improperly conversing with any party to an action which is to be tried in that court, or with any other person in regard to merits of the action, or for receiving communications from any party to the action or any other person in relation to the merits of the action without immediately disclosing the communications to the court.

(k)All inferior magistrates, officers, and tribunals for disobedience of any lawful order or process of a superior court, or for proceeding in any cause or matter contrary to law after the cause or matter has been removed from their jurisdiction.

(l)The publication of a false or grossly inaccurate report of the court's proceedings, but a court shall not punish as a contempt the publication of true, full, and fair reports of any trial, argument, proceedings, or decision had in the court.

(m)All other cases where attachments and proceedings as for contempts have been usually adopted and practiced in courts of record to enforce the civil remedies of any parties or to protect the rights of any party.

History: 1961, Act 236, Eff. Jan. 1, 1963 ;-- Am. 1987, Act 99, Imd. Eff. July 6, 1987 ;-- Am. 2005, Act 326 , Imd. Eff. Dec. 27, 2005