Word: contempt
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...wasn't exactly impeachment, but President Clinton has finally been punished for his wrongdoing in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. On Monday Judge Susan Webber Wright ruled Clinton was in contempt of court for giving "intentionally false" testimony in the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit. The president has been ordered to compensate Jones for any legal expenses that resulted Jones for any legal expenses that resulted from his misleading testimony...
...finding-a civil, not a criminal, ruling-is a sanction appropriate to the president's offense. There is no doubt that the president lied during his deposition. But, given that the questionably motivated lawsuit was dismissed, it is reasonable that Judge Wright opted for the less-serious civil contempt citation...
...partner Susan McDougal won an important victory on Monday at the expense of Independent Counsel Ken Starr and his prosecutors. A Little Rock, Ark., federal jury acquitted McDougal of obstruction of justice charges stemming from the Whitewater investigation, and the judge in the case declared a mistrial on two contempt charges after the jury deadlocked on those counts. The not guilty verdict on the obstruction charge is significant, says TIME Washington correspondent Viveca Novak, who has been following the trial: ?That?s the charge on which the jury was allowed to consider her state of mind, and apparently the jury...
...ever said that the original Whitewater mess was boring? Forget the excitement of the Monica Lewinsky scandal -- Susan McDougal's Whitewater contempt trial went on a wild roller coaster ride on Friday when, of all things, a juror brought an Arkansas criminal law book into the room where the jury was deliberating McDougal's fate. A court clerk snatched it before the jury could consult the book. The judge abruptly halted the proceedings to investigate the possibility of jury tampering, but deciding that no harm had been done he later ordered the deliberations to resume on Monday. "The strange incident...
...deliberations, however, sending out no fewer than three notes seeking clarification on various points, such as state of mind and the meaning of "innocent reason." Says Novak: "It's difficult to know, but they seemed to be begging to be informed about what might be a reasonable defense for contempt." The judge could have declared a mistrial as a result of the law book incident, but by deciding to keep the proceedings on track he provided a breather of sorts to independent counsel Kenneth Starr. The independent counsel will be testifying before a Senate committee next week and will undoubtedly...